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GERMANARMY, NAVY

UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA

1871-1918

Copyright© 1968 by THE EDITORS

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

THE GERMAN ARMY 1

THE GERMAN NAVY 95

THE GERMAN ARMY 1914-1918 138

(THE AIR FORCE)

THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 169

ACCOUNTREMENTS, DECORATIONS, AND WEAPONS 174

k--

Emperor William II. and his Staff.

THE GERMAN ARMY

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ARMY

T'HE military system of the ancient Germans was based

on the then universal military service, nation andarmy being one, and the claim or duty of military service

depending on the possession of landed property. TheGerman youth, when from fourteen to fifteen years of

age, was deemed fit to bear arms. He exercised early

with bow and arrow, took part in the favorite game of

the German lads of the period, to run at or throw them-

selves against sharp spears held by older men standing

in rows, and trained body and eyes in such a mannerthat the quickness of the onset completely overcame the

danger. The happiest day the youth experienced was,

when the right to bear arms was granted to him by the

National Assembly. He was then solemnly invested byone of the princes or by his father with sword, shield,

and spear. This function was deemed the clothing of

manhood; henceforth the youth was entitled to go forth

to battle, to take part in the doings of the popular

assemblies, and take his share in the discussion of all

public matters.

All warlike undertakings, especially offensive or ag-

gressive war, had to be sanctioned by the popular

assembly. Every one was, however, bound to serve

in defensive warfare when the country was invaded

by an enemy, and this without summons. Special

messengers called the people together for the " Heer-

bann" (an official summons for general military duty).

General military service was, therefore, exacted in the

broadest sense of the word.

In pre-feudal times the Germans served as footmen

and horsemen and stood together in battle according

to their tribes, clans and families. The oldest weaponof offence was the " Frame " or " Framea," a spear

with a long shaft and a narrow and short blade. This

was so keen and well adapted for hurling and thrust-

ing that it could be employed as necessity called for

in both close or distant conflict. The " Ger," a heavy

missile, differed apparently from the " Frame." Lances

and swords made of iron or bronze, clubs and battle-

axes, were used later on during the Migration of the

Nations.

Some defensive weapons served as shields ; they were

formed of wood or of the platted twigs of the willow,

painted in bright colors, and protecting the whole body.

Later still the shields were mounted with metallic

stripes ; helmets were also used, together with armor

and a coat of mail.

The army was divided into clans (Harste) each of a

hundred men. Formed in wedge-shaped columns they

went to battle singing the barditus (shield-song). Be-

hind the line of battle was the wagon -train, which was

defended by the women.

The strength of the ancient German army lay in the

foot-soldiers, though they knew the use of cavalry. Be-sides the squadrons of cavalry, consisting of mountedmen who sat on the naked back of the horses, wereadded foot-soldiers whose skill was so great, that hold-

ing only by the mane of the horse they equalled the

swiftest in their onset.

" In their mode of warfare," writes General Peucker,

"they followed two simple but sound tactical principles:

the first was to take the initiative in the attack, the sec-

ond to concentrate an overpowering force on the enemy'smost vulnerable point. When advancing to the attack,

an arrangement of their columns by ' hundreds,' town-

ships, and families, gave them an organization which,

skilfully used, was essentially favorable to hand-to-hand

encounter which followed the first collision."

Cowardice in deserting the colors, and loss of the

shield in battle, were considered a disgrace; to survive

the duke or commander of the army, selected for the

campaign and killed in the battle, was disgrace for a

lifetime.

Such a commander was Ariovistus, the leader of the

Suevi, whom Julius Csesar overcame near Mtllhausen in

the year 58 B. C. by superior Roman strategy, but

only after a terrible struggle in which he himself sus-

tained great loss. Aided by German mercenaries, Ceesar

subdued Gaul and furthermore vanquished by his admi-

rable German cavalry his rival Pompey at Pharsalia in

48 B. C. Decisive for Germany's future, also, was the

battle in the Teutoburg forest, fought by Hermann(Arminius), prince of the Cherusci, in 9 A. D. An army

of 40,000 select Roman soldiers was annihilated, and

Germany was saved from imminent danger of being

Romanized. Almost equally fatal to the Romans was

the battle of 16 A. D. fought by the same chieftain at al-

most the identical place against Germanicus and Cacina.

Traitor to the national cause proved Marbod, leader

of the Markmen or the Marcomanni. He had the first

standing German army of 70,000 infantry and 4,000

cavalry, whom he trained in the Roman fashion. Hewas not only duke, that is simply commander for the

time being of the campaign, but the king or head of

the "Southeastern Confederation." Instead of makino-ocommon cause with Hermann, commander of the North-

western Confederation, against the Romans, Marbodconcluded an infamous treaty with Tiberius, receiving

what was then an enormous sum of money from the

latter. This event took place in the year 6 A. D.

The West-Roman Empire was dismembered by the

migration of the German nations in the course of the

next few hundred years. Its provinces were inherited

mostly by Germans and by the Frankish Empire of

Charles the Great (Charlemagne), who also revived the

Roman Empire in form and name. His dominion in-

eluded all countries from the Schlei to the Garigliano,

from the Ebro to the Leitha.

Charles the Great effected a complete revolution in

the constitution of the army and an extension of the obli-

gations of military service. Hitherto the bulk of the

army had consisted of foot-soldiers. In the previous

wars Charles, in his career of conquest, had found it

necessary to hasten with his forces from one end of his

empire to the other. The success of his attack depended

upon the rapidity of his movements, and for such rapid

pouncing upon the enemy, the roads were, in their then

condition, too indifferent when the bulk of the army was

composed of foot-soldiers. He, therefore, proceeded to

increase his cavalry, and to such an extent that it

speedily formed the main strength of the army. Hith-

erto the only personally freemen who had landed prop-

erty were bound to serve in war, but simply as infantry.

But now Charles made those freemen who had no landed

property subject to the burden of military service, inas-

much as he laid on them a war-tax for the equipment of

the smaller freeholders who were bound to military ser-

vice. The tax amounted to a fifth of their yearly income.

The contribution levied on those bound to military ser-

vice was to be proportioned to the number of hides

(hufen), equal to about thirty acres of land, which each

man possessed. The owner of twenty hides paid more

than the owner of ten or five. The owner of four hides

was to serve personally on foot, light-armed. He was

required to have a lance and shield, or a double-

stringed bow, with twelve arrows. The owner of from

five to eleven hides had to serve on horseback, heavily

armed. He was required to have lance and shield,

sword and dagger, as well as bow and arrows. The

owner of twelve hides had to serve with armor-plate, and

the owner of more than twelve hides had to take the

field with helmet and coat of mail. To the landwehr

(militia)— a name even then applied to those bound to

serve in defence of the country against attacks of ex-

ternal foes— all who could bear arms belonged, bond as

well as free.

This new military organization of Emperor Charles

was completed by King Henry I. All his vassals had

to perform their military service on horseback, and even

the servitors and serfs of the latter had to appear

mounted. This was instituted to prepare the indispen-

sable means of freeing Germany forever from the recur-

ring inroads of the Magyars. Nor did he neglect the

infantry; he introduced improvements in its organization

and gave it a new training. The old style of infantry

tactics was to fight in large masses— to break by a

phalanx the ranks of the enemy and then to fight hand

to hand. The new mode in which Henry I. drilled the

infantry was to fight in serried ranks, not in deep col-

umns, but in extended lines. He also trained the foot-

soldiers to rapid motions and quick evolutions.

This cavalry service is the beginning of the German

knighthood; for a knight originally was nothing more

than a horseman or trooper, who entered the military ser-

vice on his own horse, armed with sword and protected by

a habergeon, or short ringed coat of mail, and a shield.

Henry I. was the German king who not only established

strongholds like Quedlinburg, Goslar, Meissen, Witten-

berg, and Soest, but also fortified open cities with walls,

towers, and moats, like Nordhausen, Gronau, and other

towns. He furthermore organized military settlements on

the eastern frontiers— called frontier-guards (Granitzer)

— as in Memleben, Wurzen, Rochlitz, and especially in

Merseburg. These military colonies were, in a certain

sense, the beginning of a " Standing Army." Previous

to this time the main safeguard of the country lay in the

castles or burghs. The difference in the construction of

the burgh depended on the character and formation of

the country. In Middle and Southern Germany, rich in

hills and mountains, hill-forts were the common means

of defence ; in the plains and lowlands of Northern

Germany water-forts were the chief reliance. The burgh

was either a simple one, consisting of a barbican (watch-

tower) surrounded with walls; or a larger one, consisting

of walls, flanked by two turrets, the outer bailey with

courtyard, behind these a moat with drawbridge, and

the inner bailey. "Within all these was the keep, on

which was placed an embattled parapet and which held

the baronial hall (Pallas)."

The chief exercises of chivalry were fought either on

horseback, with lance and sword, or on foot, with battle-

axe, mace, spear or sword. Fought in columns they were

called tournaments ; in single conflict, jousts. The tilt

was either a running with "points blunted" (rockets)

or with "pointed lances."

The most elaborate festival attended by the German

chivalry was celebrated by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa

at Mayence in 1184, when 70,000 knights witnessed the

accolade, or conferring of knighthood on the two oldest

sons of the Emperor.

The characteristics of the military system, practiced

by the Saxon and Franconian kings, were retained

throughout the Middle Ages. The commander-in-chief,

in time of war, was the king or emperor. The great

suzerains of the crown led their knights, subject to them,

and the latter were followed by their men-at-arms and

vassals. The chief or standard flag of the army was the

"Imperial Banner," with the one-headed black eagle on

a yellow field, carried in battle by the Swabians. The

defensive weapons were shield, helmet, body-armor, arm-

lets, and greaves; the offensive weapons were the long

double-handed swords, battle-axes, maces, and clubs;

while the city militia fought with cross-bows, pikes, and

halberds. The horses were also armored. In sieges

they used battering-towers, battering-rams, catapults,

and other engines for throwing projectiles.

The uniforming of the soldiers dates from feudal

times, and their origin may be traced back to the col-

ored sashes worn by the different clans over their coats

as a rallying sign. Even coats of the same color were

in use among the separate elans; in all probability, the

city mercenaries were the first to be uniformed.

The mercenary system in Germany appears to have

originated in the twelfth century, the feudal system

being inadequate and rendering the introduction of a

force of regular soldiers a necessity.

By the invention of gunpowder and its application to

projectile warfare in the fourteenth century, chivalry lost

its prestige, having nourished from the period of the

Crusades and the expeditions against Rome. At the

close of the fourteenth century the German princes and

the cities possessed bombards, carronades, culverins, and

muskets. In the year 1388 we find in Germany Tarras

muskets, hacquebuts, and arquebuses, and even pistols,

hand-guns as they were then termed. The era of the

Reformation completed the transformation of the feudal

soldiery into that of a mercenary army and replaced the

tactics of the Middle Ages by new and more effective

measures. Battles were no more decided by foot-sol-

diers, moving like walls and composed of Hussites and

Swiss, but by the premeditated co-operation of the

three different branches of the military service— in-

fantry, cavalry, and artillery. Both of the battles at

Marignano in 1515 and Pavia in 1525, where for the

first time modern trained foot-soldiers fought, illustrate

fully the great changes which had taken place in mili-

tary tactics. The mercenary levies of Germany were

termed " Landsknechte." Emperor Maximilian, aided

by Count Eitel, Frederick von Zollern, and especially

by George von Frundsberg (the father of the " Lands-

knechte"), gave the levies a thorough organization.. The

chief of the Landsknechte bore the title of commanding

general or commander-in-chief, and as such was re-

sponsible only to the sovereign or "pay-lord," The

general staff consisted of the war paymaster, the purser-

general, the quartermaster-general, the surgeon-general,

the army-herald, the provost-marshal, and the function-

ary who levied the war-tax. The Landsknechte were

divided into regiments, brought together by enlistment

and commanded by a colonel, who received a monthly

pay of 400 guilders. The regimental staff was formed

of the lieutenant-colonel, the quartermaster, the regi-

mental chaplain, surgeon, regimental-provost, the ser-

geant, and a special corporal, who had to tend to the

camp-followers and the camp-prostitutes. Each regi-

ment had from ten to sixteen companies (Fiihnlein) of

400 men, commanded by a captain. Subordinated to

the captain were the lieutenant, the standard-bearer,

sergeant-major, chaplain, and corporal. In front of each

squadron marched from twelve to fifteen musketeers,

armed with a small double arquebus or musket. These

carried on a strap, thrown over the left shoulder, twelve

wooden caps, each containing a charge of powder, also a

pouch with bullets and a box with priming powder.

The musketeers were followed by the arquebusiers.

Their chief weapon, the arquebus, was formerly provided

with a match-lock, but now carried a wheel-lock, in-

vented at Nuremberg in 1517. The arquebusiers and

musketeers wore a short two-edged sword, also a light

body-armor, and a morion or head-piece. They were fol-

lowed by the "pikemen," provided with cuirass, armlets,

and greaves, plate -aprons and morions or casques, and

armed with a short sword, two wheel-lock pistols, and

heavy pike, or a two-handed broad-sword and halberd.

A regiment of cavalry in the sixteenth century mus-

tered 750 men, with 1,000 horse. It was divided into

guidons or ensigns; a guidon generally consisted of 180

heavy horsemen (cuirassiers or lancers) and sixty light

horsemen or carbineers. The former, like the mediseval

knights, rode on heavy stallions and carried a stout

lance, together with a long sabre, two pistols and a

mace; the latter rode on light horses and carried lighter

arms, pistols and sabre, and as chief-weapon, a carbine.

The commander of the combined cavalry was called the

field-marshal. The Schmalcadic War developed a pe-

culiar species of cavalry, known as the " German Riders."

They wore open casques, a light cuirass or a jerkin of

leather, with iron habergeon, and were armed with sabre

and petronel. They used to ride in deep columns, face

the enemy at the distance of a pistol-shot, fire in sections

and retreat around the wings of the army proper in such

a way that their front rank never ceased firing. The great

mobility of those "German Riders" fitted them especially

for independent expeditions and exploits, without the

support of infantry. The martial spirit of the modern

cavalry manifested itself first in those daring riders.

The artillery made great strides at this period. Ger-

many is indebted to the Hussites for the first cast cannon

or field-pieces, which had previously been made of

wrought-iron staves. The chief places for the manufac-

ture of powder and fire-arms were then Augsburg and

Nuremberg. The artillery and the material for project-

ile warfare was under the direction of the master-general

of the ordnance. His subordinates were a lieutenant, a

paymaster, a master of the ordnance, and several gun-

ners. The service of the single piece was under a mas-

ter of the gun and artificers. The guns or carronades

were either field-guns or siege-guns. The former were

the falconet, falcon, and the culverin, which, served by

eighteen men, threw a ball of forty pounds weight. The

latter were called the great " quartan-culverin," the

songstress, the nightingale, the basilisk, and the "sharf-

metze," which threw an iron ball, weighing a hundred

pounds. Besides those there were howitzers, which

hurled stone balls of two hundred pounds weight.

The use of firearms at a siege necessitated a new mode

of fortification, termed " bastion." This changed the

former castles or burghs into real fortresses and made

the cities also to conform to the new mode of fortifica-

tion. The typical form of a German city in the Middle

Ages was as follows : The city's precincts were enclosed

in a deep moat, defended by outlying towers. Behind

the moat were the stone walls, turreted and battle-

mented. At more or less regular intervals, rampart and

walls were strengthened by turrets; there were also at

and between these round and square turrets, gates well

guarded, battlemented and provided with portcullis and

drawbridges, leading over the moat.

All these reforms were introduced during the fifteenth

century, but were completed by the Emperor Charles V.

at the Diet of Worms (1521). They became essential to

the defence of the German Empire during a period of

three hundred years, when little change took place in

the manner of raising armies.

Since the Diet of Worms, only the immediate knights

of the empire were personally bound to serve, in lieu of

which they paid a certain sum of money to the Emperor.

The provincial estates, however, were obliged to put

into service fixed contingents in the case of a general

war, which could be declared only by a unanimous

decree of the electors, princes, and cities, with the

approval of the Emperor. Since the Westphalian

Treaty (1648), each provincial estate was entitled to

declare and make war independently of the others.

The troopers at this time received twelve, the foot-

soldiers four, guilders monthly pay. In the year 1681

the entire imperial army was decreed to consist of

40,000 men, and was portioned off to the imperial

circles. A standing imperial army never existed,

though the larger provincial estates kept a body of

regular troops from the period of the Westphalian

Treaty, while the southwestern imperial circle had inde-

pendent troops from the year 1700. The imperial army,

after being summoned, was sworn in, received the articles

of war, and was made subject to the command of the

body of imperial generals. There existed a plan for the

organization of the army, which, however, was never

completely enacted. The contingents of the smaller

provincial estates were quite worthless so far as military

use was concerned, a regiment often representing sol-

diers of fifty different contingents. The officers never

had a chance of advancement, having been selected

by the sovereign of the territory supplying the contin-

gent, so that, for instance, in a company of troops from

an imperial circle, one city would appoint the captain,

another the first-lieutenant, an abbess the second-lieu-

tenant, and an abb£ the ensign. Even in regard to

uniform and arms the regiments differed, and discipline

was comparatively unknown. The consequence was

that the imperial army was Europe's laughing stock

during the entire eighteenth century, in spite of the

Prussians, the Hanoverians, the Saxons, and the Aus-

trians exhibiting the well-known prowess of the Germans

on the battlefield.

The technical and tactical improvements in military

science and warfare made by the Swedish King, Gus-

tavus Adolphus, the most brilliant military leader of the

seventeenth century, were soon to be introduced into all

European armies. These improvements were the equip-

ping of the bulk of the infantry with fire-arms, increasing

the usefulness of the cavalry by reducing the weight of

the armor and arms, introducing the light or horse-

artillery, replacing the heavy culverins by iron four-

pounders, which were now loaded with cartridges

instead of the old method of loading with loose powder.

The new tactics also gave the infantry, protected by

cavalry, opportunity for movements and quick evolutions,

so that the artillery posted in the rear had more chance

to be brought into action.

In Austria we find warriors like Prince Eugene, Lud-

wig von Baden, Daun, Lichtenstein, and Laudon occu-

pied in introducing improvements in military tactics.

In Prussia the Great Elector William was especially in-

strumental in giving the country high rank as a military

power. At his death, in 1688, the Prussian army num-

bered 26,850 men, with 140 field-pieces. Frederick

William I., his successor, steadily enlarged, improved,

and disciplined this army. Old Dessauer, the inventor

of the metallic ramrod, was its great instructor in tac-

tics and discipline. In his time the army numbered

82,000 men, 26,000 of which were enlisted non-Prus-

sians. Every youth who was of the standard height

was obliged to wear "the king's coat"; exempted only

were the sons of noblemen and of citizens who were

worth from six to ten thousand dollars. The way the

King's troops then went through the manual of arms was

something wonderful; the handling of the guns, the

uniformity of the drill, the firing in files, in battalions,

and by regiments, went off like clock-work. At this

period the military institutions introduced by Louvois,

Louis XIV. 's secretary of war, and the royal marshals

came into vogue. The entire infantry were supplied

with fire-arms and bayonets; to the cavalry were added

uhlans and hussars.

Prior to 1772 enlistment was the principal means

of recruiting the military force; from then on conscrip-

tion supplied the chief material for the standing armies.

The splendidly organized force of Frederick William I.

was raised to 200,000 men by his successor, Frederick

the Great. The latter's military genius inspired this

vast machine with proper spirit. Aided by able generals

like Prince Henry, Winterfeld, Ferdinand of Brunswick,

Seydlitz, Schwerin, Zieten, and others, he succeeded in

his battles with almost all Europe by the rapidity of

his movements, his iron discipline, and the use of the

" oblique order " of battle. He was instrumental in re-

deeming the German name in Europe and in placing

Prussia high in the ranks of European Powers.

The work of Frederick the Great was in part effaced

by the great French conqueror, Napoleon, who not only

humbled Prussia but the entire German nation by the

establishment of the "Rhenish Confederation," in 1806.

His power, however, was broken shortly afterwards,

especially through the heroic efforts and great sacrifices

of Prussia, the military service of which was reorganized

by men like Scharnhorst, Stein, and Gneisenau. Jena

and Auerstadt were swiftly followed by Leipsic and

Waterloo.

In the year 1806 Scharnhorst reduced the number

and the extent of exemptions from military service, and

abolished the enlistment of foreigners. The compulsory

personal service was introduced in Prussia, September

3d, 1814, a memorable expedient of King William III.

The military service lasted nineteen years ; namely, five

in the active army, three in the ranks, two in the reserve,

and fourteen in the landwehr.

The Congress of Vienna, in 1816, reunited the Ger-

man states with the German Confederation or Bund.

After preparations lasting for a few years, the organiza-

tion of the Federal army was effected. A military com-

mission, presided over by an Austrian representative,

was subordinated to the Federal diet which controlled

the military matters of the Bund.

The Federal army was formed by the contingents of

the Federal states and by the reserve. It was divided

into ten army-corps, of which Austria and Prussia fur-

nished each three and Bavaria one. The contingents of

Wiirtemberg, Baden and Hesse and of the Rhine,

Hohenzollern, Lichtenstein, Hesse-Homburg and Frank-

fort formed the eighth ; those of Saxony, Hesse-Cassel,

Nassau, Luxemburg, Saxony -Weimar, the three Saxon

duchies of Eeuss, Anhalt, and Schwarzburg, the ninth;

and the contingents of Hanover, Holstein, and Lauen-

burg, Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, Liibeck,

Bremen, Hamburg, Waldeck, Schaumburg-Lippe, and

Lippe formed the tenth. By a Federal decree the main

contingent and the reserves were amalgamated and the

reserve contingent doubled by one and five-sixth per cent,

of the population. From now on to the dissolution of the

Bund the strength of the Federal army was 553,028 men,

of which 452,474 belonged to the main contingent and

100,554 to the reserve, together with 1,134 field-pieces.

The various branches of the service were represented

as follows: Sharpshooters, 28,438; infantry, 398,197;

cavalry, 69,218; field-artillery, 50,254; pioneers, 6,921.

The German Federal army was called into service

twice ; namely, during the German-Danish wars of 1848

and 1864. The efforts of Denmark to " danize " the

population of Schleswig-Holstein in regard to language,

customs, and government, resulted in an open revolt

of the people. The Danes overcame the Schleswig-

Holsteiners at Bau. The Prussian General, Wrangel,

commander-in-chief of the German Federal troops in

Holstein, defeated the Danes at Schleswig and con-

quered all Jutland. The war ended with the armistice

of Malmo. The latter having been terminated by Den-

mark in March, 1849, a Federal army of 35,000 men was

then put in the field by the German diet, commanded by

the Prussian General, von Prittwitz. It consisted of a

Prussian division, a Saxon, and a Hanoverian brigade,

and three other mixed Federal contingents, including

15,000 troops of Schleswig-Holstein. Notwithstanding

that the Danes were beaten at Eekernforde (where the

battleship Christian VIII was sunk and the frigate

Qefion was captured), and also suffered defeat at Dijppel,

Holding, and Gudsoe, nothing more was accomplished

owing to the shrewd moves of diplomacy. The Danes,

furthermore, outnumbering the Germans, inflicted con-

siderable losses on the latter near Fredericia, and the

war ended favorably for Denmark.

In spite of the strained relations between Austria and

Prussia at a later period, little Denmark provoked the

two mighty Federal powers in 1864 to make common

cause against her. On February 2nd of the latter year

the bombarding of the fortifications at Missunde took

place ; on February 6th the crossing of the Schlei and

the evacuation of the Danewerks by the Danes was

effected. The campaign proceeded speedily under com-

mand of the Prussian field-marshal, Wrangel, and the

Austrian general, Gablenz. The fortifications at Du'ppel

were stormed heroically by Prince Frederick Charles,

and on the twenty-ninth of June the glorious capture of

Alsen was effected. Schleswig and Jutland were taken

by the allies, and King Christian was compelled to con-

clude an armistice on July 20th, followed by the treaty

of Vienna on the thirtieth of October, by which Den-

mark ceded all her claims to Schleswig-Holstein and

Lauenburg, which were given to Prussia and Austria.

The difficulties arising from the possession of the

duchies were appeased by the convention at Gastein in

1865. Lauenburg was ceded to Prussia, and a moneyindemnity was paid to Austria, while Schleswig was to

be governed by the former power, and Holstein by the

latter. But the old conflict broke out again one year

later. The convening of the Holstein House of Deputies

by the Austrian governor caused the Prussians to occupy

Holstein and to drive the Austrian troops out of the

duchy. The Confederation assembled at Vienna, and,

on the adoption of a motion, put by Austria (fourteenth

of June), for mobilizing the Federal army against Prussia,

the ambassador of that country declared the Bund dis-

solved because of its unconstitutional proceedings. Thewar began at once and resulted in Prussia and her allies

quickly winning the glorious victories of Podol, Miin-

chengratz, Gitschin, Trautenau, Skalitz, Schweinschiidel,

KOniginhof, and Koniggratz. Austria, Saxony, and the

Southern States were defeated in a short time by the

finely organized and splendidly led armies of Prussia

and her allies. The peace of Prague, concluded Au-gust 23d, 1866, closed Austria's hegemony with her

predominancy in Germany. Results of the most sub-

stantial kind, including annexations and the forming of a

new confederation, were secured to Prussia by this treaty.

By the treaties of Berlin the Southern States received an

independent national existence, and the opportunity of

forming a Southern Confederation and of making secret

treaties, of offensive and defensive alliance, with the

North German Confederation, which latter was about

to be founded. The official dissolution of the GermanBund with the dissolving of the Federal army took place

at Augsburg on the twenty-fourth of August, 1866.

On the fifteenth of December, 1866, Prussia, after

having annexed Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Nassau, Frank-

fort-on-the-Main, and Schleswig-Holstein, convened at

Berlin the deputies of all the States north of the Mainand agreed with them as to the new constitution of the

North German Confederation. This was sanctioned bythe Diet April 16th, and legalized July 1st, 1867. Trea-

ties were made with the South German States, securing

more uniformity to the army and investing Prussia with

absolute control of the military forces in case of war.

The constitution placed all the affairs of the army andnavy under the legislative control of the Confederation.

The Federal presidency (Prussia) had the exclusive

right of delaring war and peace and of concluding

alliances. The constitution also made provision for

compulsory military service (no substitutes being al-

lowed), and for the disbursement of the army expendi-

ture, service in the ranks, in the reserve, in the landwehr,

the landsturm, and for regulating the extent of the army

on a peace-footing (one percentage of the population).

The military budget was established on the basis of 225

thalers per soldier in time of peace, to be at the disposal

of the Federal commander-in-chief. The organization of

the army was also regulated and denned. All Federal

troops were compelled to obey absolutely the King of

Prussia alike in time of war or peace, the oath of fidelity

to the colors containing a special provision to this effect.

The army of the North German Confederation con-

sisted, on a peace-footing, of 118 regiments, of 3 battal-

ions each, of infantry (including 4 regiments of the Grand

Duke of Hesse of 2 battalions each), 18 battalions of

rifles, 76 regiments of cavalry of 5 squadrons each, 13

regiments and 1 (Hessian) division of field-artillery, 9

regiments of siege-artillery, 13 battalions and 1 (Hes-

sian) company of pioneers, 13 battalions and 1 (Hessian)

division of military train. Accordingly, the army, di-

vided into 216 landwehr battalion districts, comprised

350 battalions of infantry, 18 battalions of rifles, 380

squadrons of cavalry, 163 batteries of field-artillery, 39

battalions of horse-artillery, 88 companies of pioneers,

and 27 companies of the military train. The infantry

was armed with the needle-gun, the field-artillery with

rifled breech-loading guns of cast steel.

The army was classified into the corps of the Guards,

twelve army-corps, and one Hessian division ; each army-

corps consisting of two divisions of infantry and one bri-

gade of cavalry ; while the cavalry of the Guards and the

twelfth (Saxon) army-eorps were consolidated into one

division of cavalry. The peace-footing of the army con-

sisted of 302,633 men (299,704 combatants), 73,212

horse, and 808 guns. On a war-footing it consisted of

12,777 officers, 543,058 men, 155,896 horse, and 1,212

guns. Besides these there were depot and garrison

troops, consisting of 6,376 officers, 198,678 men, 15,698

horse, and 234 guns ; and reserve troops of 3,280 officers,

182,940 men, 22,545 horse, and 234 guns.

The fortresses of the North German Confederation

were Konigsberg, Graudenz, Thorn, Posen, Glogau,

Kosel, Neisse, Glatz, Kijnigstein, Mayence, Koblenz,

Saarlouis, Cologne, Wesel, Wilhelmshaven, Sonderburg-

Diippel, Friedrichsort, Stralsund, Swinemiinde, Kol-

berg, Danzig, Pillau, Stettin, Kustrin, Spandau, Torgau,

Wittenberg, Magdeburg, Minden, and Erfurt.

The hour when the military organization of the North

German Confederation and its Southern allies had to

face its fiery ordeal was now approaching.

Napoleon III., alarmed at the sudden rise of the Prus-

sian power, readily found an alleged cause of declaring

war against the King of Prussia (July 15, 1870). The

result of this was that the Federal diet placed its entire

military resources at the disposal of the government.

The South German princes, whose neutrality Napoleon

had expected, leagued their quickly mobilized forces

with the armies of the Confederation, and those of the

King of Bavaria, the Grand Duke of Baden, and the

King of Wurtemberg. This occurred on the sixteenth

and seventeenth of July (1870). By this action the

whole German army was placed under the command of

the King of Prussia, in accordance with the treaties. The

German forces numbered 447,000 men as the army for the

first offensive operations, while there were ready to follow

as first reserve 188,000 men, as second reserve 160,000

men, and 226,000 depot troops,— a grand total of 1,021,-

000 men. Led by the old hero-king and directed by

General von Moltke the success of the German army was

unprecedented in the annals of modern war.

This army of heroes during a period of 180 days not

only demolished the throne of Napoleon, but forced

the French republic to agree to the terms of the treaty

of Frankfort, by which France ceded to the victors

Alsace and the German part of Lorraine, and agreed

to pay to Germany five billion francs as a war in-

demnity. A great lustre surrounds this eventful period

in the history of the German nation and makes memor-

able the names of its heroes Emperor William, the

Crown Prince Frederick William, Prince Frederick

Charles, the Crown Prince Albert of Saxony, Moltke,

Blumenthal, Franseky, Werder, Goeben, Alvensleben,

and Manteuffel.

The German Grand Army, which had completed its

disposition on the French frontier on the third of August,

was divided into three parts. The first army, called the

Army of the North, had General Steinmetz as its com-

mander ; the second army, or the Army of the Centre,

was under the command of Prince Frederick Charles of

Prussia ; the third army, or the Army of the South, was

commanded by the Crown Prince of Prussia. The Armyof the South had the honor of taking part in the first

collision, and it inflicted heavy losses on the French

under Douay at Weissenburg on the fourth of August,

and under McMahon at Worth two days afterwards. Onthe same day the bloody battle of Spichern took place,

in which Steinmetz, the commander of the Army of the

North, routed and demoralized Frossard's Corps.

These victories of the Germans were followed by three

sanguinary battles in front of Metz, which fortress was

held by Marshal Bazaine with 130,000 men. Those were

the battle of Colombey, fought on the fourteenth of

August, that of Mars La Tour on the sixteenth, and the

decisive battle of Gravelotte on the eighteenth of August.

At the battle of Mars La Tour, in which 67,000 Germans

with 222 guns fought against 138,000 French with 476

guns, the German loss was 711 officers, 15,097 men, and

2,736 horse. The French loss was 879 officers, 16,128

men (prisoners of war included), and one gun. AtGravelotte, where 178,818 men of the German infantry,

24,584 cavalry, and 726 guns were engaged against

120,000 French troops, besides the garrison of Metz,

with its 450 guns and mitrailleuses, the Germans lost

899 officers and 19,260 men; the French lost 595 offi-

cers, 12,698 men, and 2,000 prisoners. The result of

these three terrible battles before Metz was that Bazaine,

with his army shut up behind the fortifications of Metz,

was prevented from cooperating with the army of

McMahon, which had been gathered at Chalons. Onthe twenty-fifth of August, McMahon left camp at

Chalons and marched to the north with the design of

relieving Bazaine at Metz. By the two battles of Beau-

mont and Musson, August 29th and 30th, McMahonwas cut off from the roads eastward to Metz and south

and southwestward to Paris, and was compelled to fall

back on Sedan. During the thirtieth and thirty-first of

August and the first of September, McMahon's army was

completely surrounded by the Germans ; even the road

to the north was barred. Between two and three o'clock

on the afternoon of September 1st the army of the Crown

Prince of Prussia and that of the Crown Prince of Saxony

formed a junction. The fire of five hundred German

guns was concentrated on the French, inflicting a terrible

punishment. At five o'clock in the evening the heads

of all the German columns advanced on Sedan and

drove the last combatants up to its walls. Upon this,

Napoleon III., who was inside the fortress, ordered the

white flag to be displayed on the citadel, and surrendered

himself a prisoner of war to the King of Prussia.

By the battle of Sedan the Emperor lost liberty and

a throne, while France bewailed the loss of an army of

135,000 men. The battle and the capitulation placed in

the hands of the conquerors 83,000 prisoners of war, 419

field-pieces, including 70 mitrailleuses, 459 siege-guns,

66,000 rifles, and other war-material. During the battle

28,000 men had been cut off and made prisoners on the

field. The dead included, there was an army, as we

have said, of 135,000 men annihilated.

Still more fatal to France was the capitulation of Metz

by Bazaine, on the twenty-seventh of October, 1870.

His immense army, consisting of 3 marshals, 10 generals,

6,000 officers, and 173,000 men, were made prisoners of

war, upon the conditions of Sedan, and the fortress of

Metz, the greatest stronghold of France, surrendered

with all its war-material, including 53 eagles and other

regimental colors, 541 field-pieces, 800 siege-guns, 100

mitrailleuses, and 300,000 rifles.

The armies of the now republican France, created by

Gambetta and provided with arms bought from England

and the United States of America, could not prevail

against the victorious Germans. All efforts to relieve

Paris, invested by the latter, failed. The French Armyof the North, the Army of the West, the Army of the

Loire, of the Westward and Eastward army corps, were

defeated in the battles of Beaune-la-Rolande, Beaugency,

Les Mans, and St. Quentin ; the intended invasion of

Southern Germany by Bourbaki's army was frustrated

by the heroic efforts of General Werder's troops at

the battle of the Lisaine and of General Manteuffel's

at Pontarlier, which forced the French to enter neutral

Swiss territory. The sorties of the invested Parisians,

made at Fontainebleau, Champigny, Le Bourget, Drancy,

Meudon, Clamart, and from Mont Valerien failed, with

heavy losses to the French.

On the twenty-eighth of January, 1871, the capitula-

tion of the capital of France, with the largest known

fortress in the world, took place under the following

conditions : All the forts, Vincennes excluded, were sur-

rendered, with all war-material, the regular troops and

the marines, also the Garde-Mobile, became prisoners of

war, surrendered their arms, field-artillery, and colors,

the fortifications of the city were, moreover, dismantled,

and the city was to pay an indemnity of two hundred

millions of francs.

In 180 days the German armies had fought 156 greater

or lesser engagements, 17 pitched battles, had taken 20

fortified places, made 19,316 officers and 613,667 men

prisoners (the army of Paris included), and captured

7,441 guns and 107 standards and other French colors.

On the eighteenth of January, 1871, in the palace of

the French Kings at Versailles, King William of Prussia

was solemnly proclaimed chief regent of the Empire,

with the title of "German Emperor," by the desire and

consent of all the German states and princes. The legal

announcement of the German Empire had taken place on

the first of January preceding.

The preliminaries at Versailles, on the twenty-sixth

of February, and the definitive peace-treaty of Frank-

fort, on the tenth of May, 1871, brought the glorious

German national war to a close. The immortal fame

which Prince Bismarck, the great German statesman,

attained by the founding of the new German Empire,

and which shall place the German nation under ever-

lasting gratitude to him, is too well known to need

repeating here.

German unification, so long desired and sought after,

became now a matter of historical fact under an emperor

of the House of Hohenzollern. A similar union has

been effected, some trivial matters excepted, in the

reorganization of the military institutions of the Em-

pire. The illustrations of the present work show

that a diversity in the uniforms still exists in the German

imperial army; the light-blue color of the uniform hav-

ing been retained by Bavaria. The Saxons wear a red

binding around the bottom of the tunic, while the WUr-tembergians differ in having their coat of arms on the

helmet. The larger Federal states have reserved a

somewhat independent administration of their troops, so

that four great divisions may be made. The Prussian

army comprises the Federal troops of all the states, with

the exception of the three kingdoms, Bavaria, Saxony,

and Wurtemberg. But all those little externals, by

which the four contingents differ, disappear before the

great achievements of the imperial army, as well as be-

fore the enthusiasm common to the German nation, which

everywhere welcomes the military forces of Germany

and goes out in love and esteem to the entire national

soldiery in all parts of the Empire. Faithfully and

bravely has this real national army, in whose ranks the

nation sees its own sons and brothers, fought and bled

on a hundred battlefields, and by its heroism it has wonfor the German name respect, esteem, and admiration

throughout Europe, nay throughout the world.

ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY

The fundamental provisions of the military organiza-

tion of the North German Confederation were

almost entirely embodied in the imperial constitution of

the sixteenth of April, 1871, repeatedly amended though

they were in the course of time. The military institu-

tions of the German Empire are, therefore, founded on

the organization of the Prussian army.

Following the example of the Great Elector, Frederick

William of Brandenburg, the founder of the Branden-

burg-Prussian army, his successors, the kings of Prussia,

always took personal interest in the training and equip-

ment of their military forces. Frederick William I., the

"Soldier King," had not only trained the functionaries

of State and its officials in the ways of the most rigid

integrity and honesty, but had drilled his army in the

severest discipline and infused into the body of officers,

called into existence by himself, the idea of rectitude

and honorable dealing in the most exacting form. Fred-

erick the Great, the genial military leader, had raised

the tactical efficiency of this little army to the highest

standard and had led it to the height of military glory

by a successful defense of Prussia against half of Europe

in the Seven Years' War. Although the old forms had

crumbled away during the Napoleonic wars at the be-

ginning of the century, the same spirit was maintained,

and the virtues of piety, honor, fidelity, and obedience

continued to be the mainstay of the army, which rose

anew upon the foundation of the universal liability to

service exacted at the regeneration of Prussia in her

long wars for liberty. Reorganized with the utmost

care and brought to almost absolute perfection by the

first soldier of Europe, King William I., the late German

Emperor, the most expert army officer of his time, this

army proved its valor in three successful wars,— in

1804 against Denmark, in 1866 against Austria, and, es-

pecially, in 1870-'71 against France. Thus the Prussian

army, the nation under arms, having for its motto "with

God for King and Fatherland," became the type for

most of the European armies, and its organization, as we

have said, was embodied in the constitution of the

German Empire, united under the Emperor's proclama-

tion at Versailles, January 18th, 1871.

Owing to the increase of the French and Russian mili-

tary forces, the German army was repeatedly subjected

to changes ; it may be described, in regard to its com-

position, organization, distribution, armament, and equip-

ment, in time of peace and war, as follows

:

I. GENERAL ORGANIZATION, DUTY, AND LIABILITY

TO SERVICE

The German military constitution is based on the im-

perial military laws enacted during the years 1870-'71,

only amended, as we have hinted, in consequence of

the continual massing of French and Russian troops on

the German frontier.

The Emperor has absolute command of the united

German army, alike in time of war and of peace, with

this sole restriction, that the kingdom of Bavaria is

entitled to minor concessions in time of peace. The

navy is exclusively, and without any restriction, under

the command of the Emperor.

The land forces of the empire form a union army, each

regiment having its own distinctive number and the

whole being uniformly armed and equipped. The color

and cut of the Prussian army uniform set the standard

for all, a cockade with the German colors being worn

by officers and men alike, as a sign of the unity of the

imperial forces.

The Emperor has the power, and it is his duty, to

see to it that every part of the armyr is complete in

numbers and equipment, and that uniformity is estab-

lished and maintained as to organization, formation,

armament, and command. The Emperor also regulates

the training of the soldiers and the proper qualification

of the officers.

The army is formed on the general and exacting

principle of liability to service. Every German is liable

to service, and in the performance of this duty no sub-

stitute is allowed. Exemption from compulsory service

is permitted only in the case of members of the reigning

or formerly reigning sovereign houses, who, however,

almost without exception, deem it a duty and an honor

to enter the army. They serve, as a rule, in the Prus-

sian army, in the 1st Regiment of Foot-Guards stationed

at Potsdam.

The general liability to serve in the army commences

with the completion of the seventeenth and closes with the

forty-fifth year of a man's life. The time is divided be-

tween service in the ranks and in the Landsturm or militia.

The liability to serve in the ranks and in the Land-

wehr commences with the completion of the twentieth

year of a man's life ; it lasts until the thirty-first of

March of the year in which a man completes his thirty-

ninth year ; he therefore serves in all nineteen years.

During the time a man belongs to the army he serves

two years in the ranks, five in the reserve (with the

cavalry and horse-artillery, three years in the ranks, and

four years in the reserve) ; after which he is attached for

five years to the first levy of the Landwehr, seven years to

the second levy (with the cavalry and horse-artillery, three

years to the first levy, and nine years to the second levy).

The standing army is formed by the ranks and the

reserve, the object of which is the replenishing of the

army from a peace footing into a war footing.

The Landwehr of the first and second levy serves for

strengthening the standing army in time of war, and

is formed into regiments, brigades, and divisions.

For the purpose of preserving the fitness for war, every

man of the reserve is compelled, in time of peace, to take

part in two field manoeuvres of eight weeks' duration. Each

man in the Landwehr has to turn out from one to two

weeks ; both are called out by a special imperial order.

The Landsturm (militia), whose duty it is to defend

the native soil, as well as to strengthen the army in case

of necessity, contains all men who have or have not

served from their seventeenth to their forty-fifth year,

and who do not belong either to the ranks, the reserve

or the Landwehr. They, however, do not have to take

part in the field manoeuvres in time of peace.

Exemptions from the above-named duties are legally

defined. As the military service is deemed one of

honor, all criminals and state prisoners are excluded from

it as unworthy. The bodily unfit men are rejected. Thesole supports of families, and such as cannot ieave their

homes, may be called upon later or are altogether ex-

empted from service.

Those educated at government expense at military in-

stitutes (academies, medical schools, and schools for non-

commissioned officers) are compelled to serve longer in

the ranks (up to seven years). Those expecting military

advancement, or who make a claim for some minor civil

office, have also to enlist in the army for seven years

under special agreement (Kapitulation).

To prevent an interruption in the studies of those

educating themselves for the professions in serving the full

term of two or three years, every able-bodied German mayserve as a volunteer for one year only, and in any troops.

Upon passing an examination, or by producing a cer-

tificate from any one of the specially authorized educa-

tional institutes, attesting his qualifications in one of

the upper classes of a high school (Realschule) or col-

lege, the youth need only serve for one year as a volun-

teer. The one-year service may be rendered in the

ranks of any regiment which may be the choice of the

volunteer, who, however, has to pay for his board and

government equipment. If found proficient he may be

transferred after one year's service to the reserve (six

years). Medical students desiring to enter the sanitary

corps are allowed to serve a shorter time, namely, six

months under arms, and after their graduation six months

more with a non-commissioned rank or as under-surgeon.

Public school teachers are also required to serve in the

ranks for a period of one year only.

II. RECRUITING, ENLISTMENT, DISCHARGE, ANDCONTROLLING ORGANIZATION

The peace footing of the army is, according to imperial

law, one percentage of the population. The annual

contingent of recruits is fixed by an imperial decree and

is determined by the number required to keep up the

peace establishment. The number is estimated at from

240,000 to 250,000 men.

The right to locate himself in any part of the Empire

gives the recruit the right to enroll himself in any corps

of his choice. This privilege is the recruit's, if we ex-

cept the corps of the Guards, which is recruited through-

out the Prussian provinces only, and to which are assigned

recruits of superior physique and behavior and of a

minimum height of five and one-half feet. Each army-

corps, excepting the Guards, has a district within which

it is stationed, raised, and recruited. This district is sub-

divided into brigade and Landwehr battalion districts.

The enrollment, examination, and distribution by the

higher and lower district commissions takes place ac-

cording to lists taken from the parish registers. Those

found fit to serve in the army are selected for the service

with arms, or without arms as hospital attendants and

professionals, such as tailors, shoemakers, etc. Men be-

low the regulation standard, but otherwise fit for duty,

are passed to the Ersatzreserve, for the purpose of filling

up the army in time of war or for the formation of depot

or garrison troops, while those found physically unfit for

any service are struck off the list altogether, and those

found unworthy are excluded.

Of the supernumerary recruits, those drawing the

lucky numbers are temporarily exempt from service in

times of peace. The men drawn for the army are then

told off to the different branches of service, according to

height, physique, and former occupation.

The final decision and allotment to the regiment is

usually completed about the beginning of October ; the

passing into the reserve occurs generally in September,

after the Autumn manoeuvres. For the keeping of the

rosters and a continuous record, and for the passing of

those from the reserve into the Landwehr, the larger

Landwehr battalion districts are subdivided into com-

pany districts. Each man of the reserve and of the

Landwehr who changes his domicile has to report the

same at the company district, that is, the district officer

and district sergeant-major. At the latter place he re-

ceives continuously his necessary military papers (pass-

port), also his furlough pass, and permission, if he desires

it, to emigrate. The district commands or commissions

are charged with keeping the register of the names and

addresses of all reserve and Landwehr men in their

respective districts and with calling them into service

for manoeuvres or mobilization. The labor of summon-

ing, collecting, and forwarding the men to their destina-

tion falls on the district commissions. By semi-annual

recruiting commissions, composed also of officers, the

military papers are approved and completed, the rosters

prepared, and the necessary steps taken to find out whoare the missing men.

III. THE ARMY ON A PEACE FOOTING

The army establishment, defined by the imperial

budget, places the peace strength of non-commissioned

offioers and men (not including the one-year volunteers)

at about 479,229 men. The entire peace strength is

as follows

:

The German army consists on a peace footing of about

23,000 officers and 557,440 non-commissioned officers

and men. Including all non-combatants, there are

585,490 soldiers and 97,850 horse, as follows

:

215 regiments of infantry and 19 battalions of rifles

(Jager and Schtttzen),

—a total of 624 battalions of infantry

;

93 regiments of cavalry and 4 detachments of mounted

rifles (Jager zu Pferde),

—a total of 409 squadrons of cavalry

;

43 regiments of field-artillery of 494 batteries;

17 regiments of foot-artillery and 1 battalion,

— a total of 37 battalions of 149 companies;

23 battalions of pioneers of 96 companies

;

7 battalions of railroad troops and 2 detachments of

balloon troops,

—a total of 27 companies and 2 detachments of

balloon troops

;

21 battalions of the military train consisting of 65

companies, shortly to be augmented by 3 bat-

talions of telegraph troops.

The infantry are armed with the breech-loader (rifle

model of 1888), allowing the simultaneous loading of

five cartridges, united in one frame ; the calibre is of

0.31 in. Besides the rifle, the infantry soldier carries

a side arm, which can be attached to the rifle as a bayonet.

A uniform arming of the entire cavalry has been per-

fected by an equipment of lances. The cavalry soldier

is armed also with a carbine (model 1888) ; the cuiras-

siers carry a straight heavy sabre (Pallasch); the hussars,

dragoons, and uhlans have the regular cavalry sabre.

The entire field-artillery is provided with uniform

guns of 3.56 in. calibre, made of improved cast steel and

mounted on a spring steel plated gun-carriage. The

charge is a shrapnell shell and a canister shot (case-shot).

The foot-artillery is equipped with heavy field-guns of

from 4.72 to 5.90 in. calibre ; howitzers of 5.90 in. calibre;

mortars of 8.26 in. calibre; and as siege-guns pieces of

3.64, 4.72, 5.90 and 8.26 in. calibre, mortars of 5.90 in.

calibre, turret-howitzers of 8.26 in. calibre ; also, revolv-

ing and quick-firing guns. The foot-artillery soldier

carries a short rifle for personal protection.

The pioneers, who are armed with the Mauser rifle

and side-arms, carry the portable materials necessary for

fortification and engineering.

The military train, armed with sabre and carbine,

attends to the transport of the army.

The entire army consists, the Prussian corps of the

Guards included, of twenty army corps. From three to

five army corps form an army, named, in time of peace,

army -inspections.

Each army corps numbers generally two divisions

(infantry and cavalry), besides one battalion of rifles,

one battalion of pioneers, one battalion of the military

train, one brigade of field-artillery, and one regiment

of foot-artillery.

Each division has normally two brigades of infantry

and one brigade of cavalry, each brigade consisting of

two regiments of infantry or cavalry.

The infantry regiments are composed, as a rule, of

three battalions (forty regiments lately organized have

only two) of four companies. The battalions have a

peace footing of 570 men, and a war footing of 1,000

men.

The cavalry regiments consist of five squadrons (in

war time of four, the fifth forming the depot squadron)

with a peace footing of from 130 to 140 horses each, and

a war footing in all of 700 horses.

The field-artillery brigade consists of two regiments

of generally three mounted divisions (Abteilungen), each

usually of three batteries, and one division of horse-

artillery of two batteries each. Each battery consists in

peace time of from four to six, and in war time of six guns.

A foot-artillery regiment comprises two battalions

each, a rifle battalion and a pioneer battalion four

companies, with the military train battalion of three

companies.

The training and drilling, commencing with the

enrollment of the recruits in October, lasts without in-

terruption throughout the year ; it embraces all branches

of the military service and ends with the September

manoeuvres of the brigades, divisions, and army corps,

after which follow the Emperor's manoeuvres, so called

from the attendance of the commander-in-chief, and

assisted by from one to three army corps (armies) facing

and fighting each other in sham-battles.

For the thorough and skilful training of the individual

soldier in larger formations in each army-corps district,

there are provided large places for the instruction of the

troops in shooting, drilling, and in regular evolutions.

In order to secure a uniform technical expertness in

the drill of every branch of the military service, there

are provided special general-inspections for each branch.

For the warlike training of the army corps the com-

manding general is responsible ; for the perfection and

readiness for war of the regiment, and for its complete

strength and the requisite qualification of the corps of

officers, the commander of the regiment is held re-

sponsible.

As a model for the infantry a special battalion of

instructors (Lehrbataillon), composed of officers, non-

commissioned officers, and privates from the whole army,

is formed at Potsdam and drilled under the personal

supervision of the Emperor. For the training of the

army instructors in general (officers and non-commissioned

officers), an infantry school of musketry is provided; for

the field-artillery and foot-artillery there is a school of

gunnery, while for the cavalry there is a riding academy;

and for all there is the military gymnasium. For the

education and training of non-commissioned officers,

military orphan homes, institutes for the educating of

soldier-boys, are provided, also preparatory and normal

schools for non-commissioned officers.

After a service lasting for twelve years, the non-

commissioned officer receives a bounty of one thousand

10

marks, with the right to claim some minor office in the

sphere either of the State or of some civil corporation.

Following the tradition of feudal times and the days

of chivalry, the entire nobility serves in the German

army and comprises the main body of officers. Since the

great increase in the army, within the past forty years,

the sources for replenishing the staff of officers have

been necessarily extended. Legally the career of an

officer is open to every man of respectable parentage,

but none,— not even a crown-prince or a prince of a reign-

ing house,— can obtain an officer's commission, save by

passing the regular examination. One exception only is

possible, namely, for bravery in action—in face of the

enemy.

For the training and education of officers there are

schools for cadets, preparatory and normal institutes,

such as those at Gross-Lichterfelde near Berlin. Besides

these there are special military academies. The higher

training is provided by the military high schools, by the

war academy, and by the artillery and engineering school

at Berlin. Bavaria also has similar educational institutes.

The war academy is the principal training school for

the higher commanders, especially for the officers of the

general staff of the army. The latter, in time of peace,

consists of about two hundred and fifty officers, destined

to attend to all matters touching the movement, the

quartering, and engagement of the troops, also the draw-

ing up of orders governing the strategical and tactical dis-

positions of the higher commanders and their enforcement.

The greatest attention has, in the German army, also

been paid to the thorough scientific and practical training

of sanitary officers and surgeons, not only at the univer-

sities, but especially at the Kaiser Wilhelm Academy,

located at Berlin. This training has been furthermore

fostered by appointing surgeons to attendance at garrison

hospitals as well as attendance at the lecture courses in

operative surgery, delivered by the most eminent pro-

fessors. The training of nurses and of men to bear off

the sick, and in war time the wounded, is carried on in

hospitals by annual practical instructions. In the farrier

and veterinary establishments horse-smiths and veterinary

surgeons receive their training.

The entire war-material is furnished by the gun-

factories, manufactories of arms and of projectiles, and

by the powder-mills. The bureau of supplies, assigned

to each army corps, furnishes all the troops with the

necessary clothing. To see to the sustenance of manand horse is the duty of each separate division of troops,

providing such is not done by the military bakeries, by

the factories of canned-meats, and the bureau of supplies.

A uniform martial law is maintained throughout the

entire army, also a uniform military code regulating

trials and court-martials.

The chaplains have charge of the spiritual welfare of

the army, and are expected to foster and promote reli-

gious sentiment.

All affairs regarding the administration, equipment,

armament, clothing, and maintenance of the military

forces are regulated and conducted by the War Ministry

in Berlin. This is the centre from which issue all

measures of organization and administration. This min-

istry, in connection with the lesser ministries of Bavaria,

Saxony, and Wilrtemberg, has to provide for the equip-

ment and maintenance of the entire German army in

case of war.

IV. THE ARMY ON A WAR FOOTING

At the time when armies were raised by enlistment, it

was a happy idea of the Great Elector of Brandenburg

to assign to each regiment a defined district of the coun-

try. As enlistment was changed to conscription, the old

practice was retained, though more and more developed

in the Prussian army, and still further developed in the

German army. The composition of the latter is there-

fore closely affiliated with the territorial divisions of the

country. Each army corps is recruited within its own

army corps district and bears its name. The regiments

which bear besides the regular number of the military

branch to which they belong, the names of princes and

prominent generals, are also known by the names of the

province and the district from which they are recruited.

As an instance, the following are cited as examples : the

38th regiment of Fusiliers, Graf Moltke (Silesian) ; the

7th regiment of Cuirassiers, von Seydlitz (Magdeburg)

;

the 3rd regiment of Hussars, von Zieten (Brandenburg)

;

the 5th regiment of Hussars, Prince Bliicher (Pom-

eranian); the 114th regiment of infantry, Emperor Fred-

erick III. (Baden No. 6).

By this arrangement the history of each town, of each

village, and even of each family, is closely connected

with the history of each regiment. Often, not only in

the ranks of the nobility, but also in those of the com-

moners and peasantry, a whole generation may serve in

the same regiment. The grandson takes pride to enlist

in the company in which his grandfather's name is honor-

ably mentioned in connection with earlier campaigns.

Besides the inestimable moral value of these tra-

ditional and historical ties, binding together nation and

army, the uniformity of the distribution of the troops,

their garrisoning in the recruiting districts, has an enor-

mous advantage, in that the army can be transformed

with the utmost speed from a peace organization to a war

footing. This is called "mobilization" and is prepared

with the utmost care in time of peace, the initiative of

war operations, nay, even the success of the war itself,

depending on the alertness and promptness with which

the mobilization is carried out. The reserve district com-

manders keep the parish lists of each man of the reserve

force and of the Landwehr. When the order to mobi-

lize is issued, the summonses are handed directly to this

officer and through him to the soldier, instructing him

where and when to go.

The transport of the summoned troops to the frontier

or to meet the enemy, with the necessary railway facili-

ties and personnel, are mapped out and arranged in every

detail during peace time. The entire railroad system is

thus mobilized.

11

The whole equipment, armament, ammunition sup-

plies, and general fitting out of the forces for war

purposes, including both the Landwehr and the depot

troops ; all wagons, supplies for the medical department,

also the entire rations for the first few days' use of the

army in the field,—in short, all that is necessary and

expedient for the fighting army, for its subsequent en-

largement, and for the defence of the country,— is kept

in readiness in a complete and perfect state ; it is also

replenished and renovated from time to time. By in-

spections, held only by generals, the whole army is

tested in regard to its readiness for war ; the entire

material down to the small package of bandages carried

by every man, to every horse-shoe nail and wagon-lantern,

is subject to the most scrutinizing process of inspection.

The necessary completion of the force of officers

from the time war breaks out is especially provided

for, as all of the officers that are of the age liable

still to serve upon leaving the ranks enter the reserve

or the Landwehr. The most able and efficient of the

one-year volunteers, trained practically and theoretically

by officers during their service time, and having passed

the necessary examination to become officers of the

reserve, are also notified for service. Trained further by

repeated exercises, lasting several weeks, of which three

have to be made at least in the reserve and later on two

in the Landwehr, these reserve and Landwehr officers

form in time of peace a standing corps of officers under

the direct surveillance of the district commanders. This

corps, infused with the proper martial spirit, is amply

sufficient to supply the body of officers in the lower

ranks in case of war. For the position of the higher

ranks of commanders and leaders, the Emperor has

officers and generals at his disposal for immediate use

and action.

In accordance with the aforesaid, when war is declared

the mere telegraphic order of the Emperor is sufficient

:

"the army is mobilized;" and when a few days have

elapsed the entire German army stands ready for action

at whatever point the country is menaced. Exempt from

immediate mobilization are the troops retained for the

Ersatz, with all the depot and garrison troops.

In war time the army is divided into : the mobile

or active army, and the immobile or garrison troops.

The active army is composed of the troops of all ranks,

including the reserve and the mobilized forces of the

Landwehr. The organization of the army on a war

footing is similar to that in time of peace ; there are

twenty army corps, composed of the same divisions,

brigades, regiments, and battalions for both occasions.

The additional formations are from two to three inde-

pendent cavalry divisions, consisting of a number of

cavalry regiments, withdrawn from the regular divisions

for strategical duties in front of and on the flanks of the

army. Added to these are in war time the necessary

columns and divisions of the military train, all of which

make up the following formation of an army corps on a

war footing : two divisions of infantry, one battalion of

rifles, the artillery of the corps, the ammunition trains

(four for the infantry, six for the artillery), the military

train-battalion, three provision and seven transportation

trains, the depot of remounts, the field-bakery, the pon-

toon train, the sanitary train, the sanitary detachment of

twelve field-hospitals. Added to these are the military

commissioners (intendantur) and the chaplains, with the

military pay chest and the field post-office.

One division of infantry comprises two brigades of

infantry, each of two regiments, one regiment of cavalry,

one regiment of field-artillery of six batteries, one or two

companies of pioneers, one detachment of pontoon train,

one sanitary detachment, and one detachment of tele-

graph troops. Besides those there are the military com-

missioners, the chaplains, and field-post.

In addition to the above-named columns and trains,

each army corps has its own wagons, divided into two

columns or echelons ; one, called the small baggage train,

which carries everything necessary for the troops during a

battle or immediately after one, such as the ammunition,

provisions, and medicine, while the heavy baggage follows

at a greater distance, and carries all supplies required

for the sustenance of the army during its operations in

the field, with the baggage, sutler, forage, and provision

wagons.

An army corps of two divisions comprises: 24 battal-

ions of infantry, 1 battalion of rifles, 8 squadrons of

cavalry, from 18 to 20 batteries of artillery, about 25,000

infantry men, 1,400 horse, and from 108 to 120 guns.

In war time two of the recently formed forty regiments

of infantry remain with their respective army corps. It

is intended to bring up the strength of the latter to about

30,000 infantry.

The regiments formed of the surplus reserve are placed

in reserve divisions ; the Landwehr, made up also into

regiments of battalions, squadrons, and batteries, is added,

in the form of Landwehr brigades and divisions, to the

active army. The war formations prepared and defined in

every detail are promulgated only at the outset of the war.

From three to five army corps form an army under a

superior army commander. The entire forces under the

supreme command of the Emperor are directed from the

Imperial Headquarters. These are composed of the

chief of the general staff of the army, the minister of

war, the quartermaster-general, and the inspector-general

of the troops, with their respective staffs. The garrison

forces, composed of the immobile Landwehr of the second

levy (from the thirty-second to the thirtv-ninth year of a

man's life), and the depot troops remain in the country,

commanded by the respective temporary commanding

generals; they are completely equipped and clothed, gen-

erally formed into battalions, squadrons, and batteries,

and may be also called out in case of mobilization and

used for the defence of the Etappen (lines of base con-

necting the field-army with the rear), or to fill up the

fighting strength.

The Landsturm (composed of men from the seventeenth

to the forty-fifth year) is called out by an imperial

order, or, in case of imminent danger, by the command-

ing generals and commanders of the fortified posts. The

12

Landsturm is also properly prepared in peace time (in-

eluding the appointment of officers). It is completely

equipped and armed, special attention being paid to the

fact that the Landsturm of the second levy shall hold

all men from their thirty-ninth to their forty-fifth year,

that is, all soldiers having passed through the regular

service. Thus in from eighteen to twenty days after war

is declared, that is, after the order to mobilize has been

given, about 1,400,000 men of the standing army are

ready to take the field. After about four weeks another

body of 900,000 men of the reserves are ready to go into

action, being in fighting trim to operate on the threatened

frontier. After a further lapse of from four to six weeks

the entire Landwehr and the Landsturm, comprising all

men that have served, may be summoned, so that four

and a half millions of trained men are ready to defend

the country. On great emergency this number can be

raised to seven millions by calling out the remainder of

the Landsturm, including those men who have not served.

This may not be called an army merely ; it is the nation

under arms. Such a campaign would be equal to a

Migration of Nations.

This immense military organization of the German em-

pire, made possible by compulsory military service, is the

result of the cooperation of all the military authorities

with those of the government, the corporations, and the

railroad administration bureaus. Without this varied and

combined assistance, well defined for all warlike purposes,

the complete disposition of the army and its readiness for

war would be impossible. For the founding of this

great organization, so resolute and so tense, as well as

efficient in all its parts, Germany is especially indebted

to the ceaseless and untiring efforts of the late Emperor

William I and to "his trusted and eminent advisers, the

two field-marshals, both now deceased—von Moltke, chief

of the general staff, and von Roon, the secretary of war.

Emperor William II strenuously endeavors not only

to maintain but to raise the standard of ' the German

army. " He keeps the sword in the scabbard, but its

edge is sharp," so that in the hour of peril no notch will

be found, while the national forces, in full equipment,

will be ready to defend German honor, together with

the German Fatherland.

COMPOSITION OF THE ARMY

T ike all European armies, the German army consists

*-' of the following branches of military service

:

infantry, cavalry, artillery, the engineers, and the mili-

tary train.

THE GERMAN INFANTRY

The entire German infantry wears the Prussian helmet,

and a dark blue tunic with red facings on collars and

cuffs ; the shoulder straps bear the color of the army

corps and the number of the regiment. The trousers

are made of dark gray cloth, the boots have leather tops,

the overcoat is of a gray-colored frieze. The Prussian

Guards have collars to their tunics with braiding peculiar

to their corps, and wear horse-hair plumes on parade.

The Jliger are distinguished by wearing a shako, with

a green tunic.

The equipment (helmet excluded) of the infantry con-

sists of the belt for the side-arms, two ammunition

pouches, the feed-bag, cooking utensils, canteen, en-

trenching tools, and parts of a tent. In the knapsack

and haversack are a pair of shoes, a shirt, a pair of

socks, pieces of linen, grease for the rifle, polishing and

scouring utensils, a pay-book, and hymn book.

The infantry is provided with arms which enable the

troops to fight either at a long or at a short distance.

Its ranks hold the largest number of fighting men.

They are armed with a rifle, capable of firing at a long

range, also with side-arms which can be attached to

the rifle as a bayonet. The infantry is the chief stay

of the army, and is adaptable for service at any time

or in any country. The discipline of the German

infantry is known throughout the world and is a

model for other nations, excelling all foreign troops

in what is called "firing discipline," that is, discipline

under fire. In face of the enemy the commands are

obeyed as on parade, no firing or change of position

being allowed without explicit orders. The unity

of the army extends also to the weapon and side-

arms of the infantry : all non-commissioned officers and

men use a magazine rifle, the quick-loading rifle '88

—

13

of 0.310 inch (about one-third of an inch) calibre—the

magazine being filled from a metal clip containing five

cartridges chaTged with smokeless powder. The rifle

'88 signifies the infantry rifle model of the year 1888.

The weight of the weapon is 8.37 pounds, the length

49.01 inches. The rifle has three sights. The fixed

sight is adjusted to 273 yards; the drop sight to 386

yards; and the elevating Vernier sight is graduated

from 490 to 2,238 yards. The rifle covers a maximum

range of from 4,149 to 4,336 yards. The bullet has

an initial velocity of 82.02 feet and a muzzle velocity

of 2,034 feet.

The infantry side-arm '71, '84 (that is, model of 1871,

improved in 1884) has a length of 15.2 inches, and

weighs, scabbard included, 17.03 ounces, or 13.29 ounces

without the scabbard. It consists of blade, hilt, and

scabbard. The blade is made of cast steel, tempered,

blued, ground and polished, grooved on each side, flat-

backed, and two-edged at the point. The hilt, serving for

the handling of the weapon, is made of iron; on the

haft are side plates of wood (the sword bayonet of

the Jager has side plates of leather), and has a guard

forged of highly carbonized iron, with a round hole

for insertion round the muzzle of the gun, and held

tight by a steel spring inside the hilt handle. The

scabbard is made of black, pliable sole-leather, formed

like the blade, and has two mountings of steel-plate;

at the lower or pointed end is a frog mounting, and at the

upper end the chape with hook to be fastened into the

waist belt. The side-arms are adjusted to the rifle as

a bayonet at the command before the attack of "fix

bayonets!"

The officers, sergeant-majors, sergeants, and ensigns

who wear the silver sword-knot and the regular officer's

sword, together with the men who have charge of the sick

and wounded, are each provided with a revolver (model

of 1883). This is made, in its principal parts, of steel,

with butt plates of walnut, a barrel with four grooves

and of a length of 6.03 inches, a calibre of 0.42 inches,

and a cylinder holding six cartridges. The bullet,

cylindric in form, with a point pressed out of spun lead,

weighs 0.59 ounces; the charge is 23.14 grains of gun-

powder. The weight of the weapon is 2.06 pounds, the

length is '9.25 inches, and the sight is adjusted to 21.3

yards.

The equipment of the infantry has been materially

reduced in weight since 1887, conforming to the changes

introduced in modern war tactics. The helmet has been

lightened and freed from all superfluous mountings.

The haversack is made of waterproof material, instead

of linen. The ammunition is entirely separated from

the knapsack, being stowed away in two pouches

fastened to the belt, each containing forty-five car-

tridges. To these may be added sixty more cartridges

for field operations, which are carried in the knapsack.

The entire ammunition for war purpose consists, there-

fore, of one hundred and fifty cartridges, which may

be replenished from the ammunition and company's

wagons to two hundred for each man. The weight

of the knapsack has been likewise reduced. A sepa-

rate waterproof bag holds provisions for three days.

The cooking utensils are smaller and are made of alu-

minium and mounted on top of the knapsack, around

which, leaving the lower part free, the great coat is

rolled. The whole outfit, including the ammunition

pouches, is strapped to the belt.

The weight of the knapsack, including the parts of

the tent, is 3.45 pounds. The entire load, including

clothing carried by a fully equipped soldier of the

infantry, amounts to 53.78 pounds, being considerably

reduced in comparison with the weight borne in former

times. When the knapsack is left off temporarily, the

troops can undertake field-operations for three or four

days, as is often necessitated during a state of siege;

they are then fully provided with pocket provisions

and ammunition sufficient for the interval.

The German infantry is essentially a unity— in equip-

ment, armament, and employment. The difference in the

uniform and the names of the various regiments are of

historic origin, and are retained for convenience or on the

ground of expediency. The regiments are hence differ-

ently described as Grenadiers, Musketeers, Fusiliers,

and Jager. The different types of the German infantry

drawn from the separate contingents are shown in the

illustrations.

The elite forces of the army are the Guards, forming

in itself a complete army corps, and located at Berlin,

Potsdam, and Spandau. While all the other army corps

are recruited from their own districts, the corps of the

Guards is recruited throughout the Prussian monarchy

and of men of superior physique. The Bavarian regi-

ment of body-guard Grenadiers and the Baden regiment

of the body-guard is likewise recruited from provincial

sources. The elite regiment of the corps of Guards

is the 1st regiment of Foot-guards. This regiment

was formed in 1807 of the remainder of the original

Foot-guards, and these from the regiment known as

"Guards No. 15" and the battalion of "Grenadier-

Guards No. 6." The battalion dates back to the time

of Frederick the Great and derives its title from Fred-

erick William's I. guard of giants, known as the "Tall

Fellows."

The first regiment of the Guards is, as has been said,

the elite regiment of these elite troops. Apart from the

general "facings" of the Guards, the white braiding

upon collars and cuffs, the uniform is especially charac-

terized by the white buttons, a reminiscence or relic of the

original regiment of the Guards No. 15. Still more de-

serving of notice is the head-dress worn on parade—the

grenadier head-dress. The new model is an exact copy

of the original, worn during the era of Frederick the

Great ; the back is covered with red cloth ; that of the

Fusiliers with yellow cloth. This distinctive head-dress

was conferred upon the regiment by Emperor William II.

The head-dress formerly worn by the Grenadiers, made

of yellow metal, adorned with crown and star and pro-

vided with chin strap, was transferred to the Alexander

regiment of the Grenadier-Guards. Besides those two

14

regiments the Prussian Guards have seven more regiments

of infantry, one battalion of Jager, and one battalion

of rifles.

The Prussian Guards are trained by the best qualified

commanders and constitute a model corps in the strictest

sense of the word. During the later great wars the

Guards have often been put in the van of battle, and by

their valorous deeds have won for themselves unfading

laurels, especially at KOniggratz, St. Privat, and Sedan,

and before Paris. The brightest jewel in the crown of

glory gained by the Guards is the legend "St. Privat,"

for there they won immortal honor. The northern parts

of the French line of battle— Gravelotte and St. Privat -

la-Montagne— were occupied by the sixth French army

corps and the division Cissey of the fourth corps ; St.

Privat formed the key of the position. From half-

past two until half-past four o'clock in the afternoon

a heavy artillery duel was raging, favorable, how-

ever, to the Germans. At half-past four o'clock an

almost perfect lull set in— the calm before the storm.

At a little after five, the battle having been renewed

General von Manstein ordered the third brigade of

the Guards to the attack. Advancing in well-formed

columns and in the best of order, the battalions were

received with a terrible shower of bullets, which thinned

their ranks in a frightful manner. The smallest ridges,

affording some shelter, were used to good advantage

;

after every halt there was another advance. Up to seven

o'clock in the evening, the brave soldiers had pushed

themselves forward to within eight hundred paces of

Amanvillers, located to the south of St. Privat, which

place they could not take from sheer exhaustion. Athalf-past five o'clock the commander of the second

division of the Guards led the fourth brigade in per-

son in the assault upon the advanced outwork Jeru-

salem, part of the village St. Privat stretching towards

Amanvillers. The enemy was found lying there pro-

tected by hedges and rifle-pits, but beyond the reach

of the needle-gun. The rapid firing chassepots madebig gaps in the columns of the brigade as it ad-

vanced in regular fighting order. Without the slightest

cover, the brave battalions, having by this time lost

almost all their officers, now pushed ahead ; but only

the edge of the position could be taken by the fourth

brigade, which, however, drove the enemy back to

Jerusalem.

It was found impossible to reach the first line of the

enemy in spite of the fact that the remains of the brigade

held the captured territory. Half an hour later, when

the fourth brigade had done its task, the first division of

the Guards, under General von Kessel, made an attack

on St. Privat, that is on Ste. Marie, lying towards the

north. The same spectacle seen on the south side was

seen also here. The route of the battalions was marked

by heaps of dead and wounded, and in a short time all

the commanders were hors-de-combat. The right wing,

nevertheless, advanced up to within nine hundred paces,

and the left to within six hundred paces of the enemy.

The fighting of the decimated Germans grew less and

less. At this moment General von Pape ordered four

batteries of artillery to be placed in position at one

thousand paces from the village ; these were quickly

supported by the entire corps-artillery and also by

the artillery of the tenth corps. Soon the flames leaped

up within the battered walls of St. Privat, and the

fire of the chassepots became fainter. Firmly and

steadfastly the battalions of the Guards, unwilling to

recede, yet impeded in their advance, held their ground

amid a storm of bullets, the most trying test of dis-

cipline to which troops can ever be put. To fill up

the gap, General von Pape placed the second regi-

ment of Grenadier-Guards between the two; and as

reserves for the left brigade the fourth regiment of

Guards followed. But relief soon came in the nowadvancing Saxon corps. Seven batteries opened their

fire upon the village. Intermingled with parts of the

Guards, fifteen battalions of the 45th and 47th brigades

now encircled the north and west side of St. Privat.

Eighty-four Saxon guns belched out against the town,

while the Fusilier-Guards, hitherto held in reserve at

Ste. Marie, advanced to the support of their sorely-tried

comrades.

At half-past seven in the evening, the general storming

of St. Privat took place; the decisive hour of the great

battle had come at last. The drums beat the general

assault ; the troops advanced with flying colors up to the

village and scaled the walls that surrounded the townand yards; the houses were then stormed one by one.

The third battalion of the Body-guards and the ninth

company of the fourth regiment assaulted the church, the

third company of the fourth regiment of the Guards bore

down on the cemetery, the Fusiliers of the first regiment

of the Guards advanced upon the farmsteads lying south of

Jerusalem, and the Franz regiment took Jerusalem proper.

In the battle 2,000 French were taken prisoners of

war. The sixth French army corps, now conquered, re-

treated to the valley of the Moselle. The Guards lost

almost one-third of their infantry, namely, 307 officers,

7,923 men and 2 surgeons. In these total casualties the

battalion of the Guards-Rifles, engaged at Amanvillers,

lost the most, namely, 19 officers, 431 men and 1 sur-

geon ; the second Foot-Guards lost 39 officers and 1,076

men; the third regiment of the Guards lost 36 officers

and 1,060 men. The first regiment of the Guards lost

36 officers and 1,056 men; the Franz regiment lost 38

officers and 1,020 men ; the Augusta regiment lost

27 officers and 902 men ; the Alexander regiment

lost 27 officers and 820 men; the loss of the fourth regi-

ment was 29 officers and 524 men; of the Elizabeth

regiment 21 officers and 433 men.

Just as glorious, though less bloody was the part

taken by the corps of the Guards in the battle .of Sedan.

Ordered by the commander-in-chief to proceed towards

Fleigneux and to press the enemy away from the Bel-

gian frontier, the second division of the Guards were sent

against the northeastern part of Daigny, where concen-

trated masses of the enemy fought against the twelfth

corps. Only after having repulsed the French upon the

15

opposite bank of the valley, the Guards batteries were

able to occupy the heights, east of Givonne, and send

from that direction with eighty-four guns the deadly

shelis against their opponents. In the meantime the

sixth company of the Fusilier-Guards had succeeded

in taking the village of La Chapelle and in dispersing

the franctireurs, which held it. A column of French

artillery, riding into Givonne without precautions was

held up bv the fifth company of Fusilier-Guards, and 1

1

officers with about 200 men were made prisoners, al-

most without any resistance; 7 guns, 3 mitrailleuses,

many ammunition wagons and 124 horses were also

at the same time captured.

From the second position the batteries of the Guards

shelled the Bois-de-la-Garenne with a hail of lead and

iron up to the hour of half-past two in the afternoon.

The fifth light battery, the most exposed at the extreme

left wing, suffered heavily; it lost during that time the

three officers commanding the platoons by a heavy rifle

fire. The hostile masses, suddenly rushing on to effect

a breaking through at Carrigan, were driven back by

the overwhelmingly rapid fire of the batteries. At

nearly three o'clock the infantry finally reached the op-

posite heights of the valley and the Bois-de-la-Garenne.

After a well-nigh instantaneous volley, fired by sixty

guns, the first division of the Guards entered the woods,

meeting with hardly any resistance, and formed a junc-

tion with parts of the fifth, eleventh, and twelfth corps,

which from three sides pressed together the enemy

at the farmstead of Querimont. More than 5,000 pris-

oners were here taken by the Guards. About five

o'clock the fight ended on this part of the battlefield.

The corps of the Guards rallied its scattered troops at

Calvary d'llly. It alone delivered up 111 French offi-

cers and 8,500 men, who had been made prisoners, also a

French standard, 17 guns, 3 mitrailleuses, and 17 wagons

of ammunition.

The deeds of valor performed by the Guards were

equaled by those of the infantry regiments of the line

in a self-sacrificing and death-defying spirit. We re-

call the heroism displayed by the 7th regiment of the

King's Grenadiers at the assault upon the castle of

Geisberg during the engagement at Weissenburg. This

regiment is now in garrison at Liegnitz.

On August 4th the first important engagement of the

Franco-German War took place at Weissenburg. Gen-

eral Douay, the commander of the second division of the

first French corps (McMahon's) had occupied Geisberg,

a hill south of Weissenburg, with eight battalions, eight

squadrons and eighteen guns ; whilst Weissenburg was

held only by one battalion. At eight o'clock in the

morning of the following day the first shot was fired;

at one o'clock in the afternoon, the city was taken

by regiments of the fifth and eleventh corps and the

second Bavarian corps, and the first battle was won.

On the Geisberg, defended at noontime by seven bat-

talions, three batteries and one brigade of cavalry were

in position under General Pelle, who was in command,

vice General Douay, previously killed in battle. The

Geisberg castle, a series of massive buildings, surrounded

by a wall fifteen feet high and protected by embrasures,

was stormed by the 7th regiment of the King's Grena-

diers. The garden surrounding the castle was quickly

cleared of the enemy; the rifles while attacking the castle

proper were received with a terrific fire. Major von

Kaisenberg at the head of the larger part of the Fusilier

battalion rushed towards the castle. The color-bearer

having fallen, the major grasped the colors himself;

three shots however laid him low; again and again the

banner changed hands; steadfastly the brave troops fol-

low their commanders who all successively fell, crushed

and shattered. The castle which was most obstinately

defended could not be taken by storm. At this mo-

ment General von Kirchbach ordered the building to

be fired upon from three sides. The shells tore the

roof off and demolished the apartments, so that the

French had to seek shelter in the cellars. At the final

assault the Germans succeeded in reaching the castle-

yard and in opening the gate with an axe from the

inside. The troops then entered the castle and forced

the remainder of the defenders to surrender. The regi-

ment of the King's Grenadiers in this affair lost 23 offi-

cers and 329 men. On the slope of the hill 10 officers

lay dead.

Another act of valor recorded in the annals of German

heroism, is the storming of the "Rote Berg" (Red

Mountain) at the battle of Spichern, August 6th, 1870.

General Frossard, the commander of the second French

corps, who had deemed his position at Saarbriicken

so perilous that he had notified the imperial head-

quarters of the fact, had retired with his corps upon

the Spichern Heights on the fifth of August. The

ninth division of Laveaucoupet threw up entrenchments

and constructed rifle-pits on these heights and lined the

Rote Berg with soldiers. Shortly after one o'clock,

General von Francois, at the head of only five com-

panies of the 74th regiment began to scale the moun-

tain. As they advanced they were received by the

infantry and artillery of the enemy with shot and

shell. They reached the base of the mountain and

tried to get a footing on the cliffs and crevices of the

steep rock, appearing from a distance like hanging

swallows.

To support the storming columns, the German bat-

teries on the Galgenberg and the Folster HOhe quickly

silenced the French guns on the Rote Berg, and com-

pelled them to be withdrawn, the French leaving five

guns between the German and French tirailleur lines.

At three o'clock in the afternoon General von Kamecke

ordered a renewed assault of the Rote Berg. Without

delay, General von Francois personally led the ninth,

tenth, eleventh and twelfth companies of the 74th regi-

ment up the steep and rocky heights. Climbing from

terrace to terrace they gradually reached the summit.

In a few minutes the outer entrenchments were gained,

from which the French Chasseurs, evidently taken by

surprise were driven after a brief resistance. With

drawn sword the gallant general led his small body

16

of Fusiliers towards the enemy. Pierced by five bul-

lets he however sank to the ground and died with the

words on his lips: "It is glorious to die on the field of

battle! I gladly give my life, as I see that the fight

is taking a favorable turn." Forward his brave Fusi-

liers could not go, backward they would not go. The

arrival of strong supports of the enemy now became

apparent.

General von Alvensleben having assumed the chief

command during the progress of the battle could notice,

looking upon the Rote Berg, only an extended line of

sharpshooters, giving no sign of an advance movement;

they were warriors who had already laid down their

lives for their country. The third battalion of the 40th

regiment now scaled the mountain; masses of the enemy

threatened its flanks; the situation of the five companies

required immediate action. The ammunition commenced

to fall short, and only the exemplary behavior of the

troops made it possible to hold the entrenchments on

the crest of the hill previously taken. General von Al-

vensleben now ordered up the regiment of the Bruns-

wick Hussars to take part in the fight. The regiment

climbed the mountain, but could not deploy; nor could it

effect a change and seemingly must now retire. At this

juncture, General von Billow asked permission to have

some guns of the third light battery and the third heavy

battery hauled up on the mountain, which was quickly

accomplished, though with great loss and the utmost

efforts of man and horse. The enemy was at last

compelled to withdraw behind the entrenchments. As

the division Laveaucoupet made a renewed and final

attack on the Germans, it was repulsed by fresh Prus-

sian troops breaking into the flanks of the enemy. The

74th regiment lost 36 officers and 661 men on that day.

At the battle of Vionville, August 16th, one of the

bloodiest affairs not only of the late war, but of the cen-

tury, on the German side five divisions of infantry and

two divisions of cavalry, with 222 guns, coped with a

superior opposing force of fifteen divisions of infantry

and five divisions of cavalry, with 476 guns. To de-

scribe the heroic deeds of that memorable day would

exceed the scope of this book. Infantry, cavalry, and ar-

tillery rivalled each other in acts of gallantry. The

battle at first comprised a series of offensive movements

by the Germans ;afterwards it took the form of a defence

of the German positions against a vastly superior enemy,

which lasted twelve hours. The third army corps,

under the command of General von Alvensleben, fought

till noon with its main front against Metz, its rear

against Paris, and gave battle to two French corps. The

loss of the corps on that day was 310 officers and 6,641

men. The loss alone of the 52nd regiment attached to

this corps was 18 officers and 345 men killed, and 32

officers and 1,202 men wounded. The casualties of the

3rd Westphalian regiment No. 16, also an integral part

of the third army corps, was 49 officers and 1,736 men

killed and wounded; the loss of the 24th regiment was

47 officers and 1,099 men; the gallant 11th regiment lost

41 officers and 1,119 men.

At four o'clock in the afternoon the brigade Wedell

(the 57th and 16th regiments) took part in the battle,

20,000 Frenchmen opposing 4,700 Germans. The bri-

gade advanced steadily, after having passed the burn-

ing village of Mars La Tour under a storm of shell and

the fire of the mitrailleuses which calamitously reduced

its ranks. The rear division thronged between the

front one ; after a run of from one hundred to one hun-

dred and fifty paces the troops dropped on the ground,

jumping up and rushing forward till they reached

the edge of a ravine, fifty feet deep and separating

them from the enemy. They ran down, traversed the

ravine, and scaled the opposite banks, where they

were met in mass by Grenier's battalions, and on

the left flanks by those of Cissey. The five battalions

could not withstand the murderous fire of two divisions.

All mounted officers were laid low and the wounded and

killed lay in heaps on the ground. The casualties, which

included 72 officers killed and 2,542 men killed and

wounded, speak well for the bravery of the Westphalians.

The commander-in-chief of the German army, King Wil-

liam, passed this encomium upon the third army corps:

"At every occasion," said his Majesty, "I shall deem

and acknowledge the deeds achieved by the third army

corps on the sixteenth of August as part of the most

heroic exploits of warfare, General von Alvensleben and

his corps having shown a spirit of sacrifice only possible

when each individual soldier felt conscious of what was

at stake on that day."

The following brief episode in the bloody engage-

ment at Loigny, December 2nd, 1870, in which General

Chanzy was defeated by the Duke of Mecklenburg,

bears witness to the bravery shown by the Hanseatic

regiments. Just as Captain von Marschalk of the third

regiment of Uhlans (Brandenburg No. 3) had taken the

advanced French batteries, and with them two mitra-

illeuses, an aide-de-camp of General von der Tann gal-

loped up to General Tresckow asking for immediate

support, as the enemy had already advanced six hundred

paces toward the outer walls of Chateau Goury, where the

Bavarian corps (von der Tann's) was being pressed very

hard. Tresckow sent only three Hanseatic companies

after the division Maurandy, which captured a farmstead

and two guns, directing the main part of the brigade to

support the Bavarians. Major-General von Kottwitz

led the 76th Hamburg regiment and the two bat-

talions of the 75th regiment (Liibeck-Bremen) towards

Loigny.

As if on parade, with drums beating, colors flying, and

the men hurrahing, the four battalions advanced upon

Loigny. As they met the left wing of Bourdillon, his

right wing at once fell back; some columns then faced

the enemy and occupied the gravel-pits, but the first bat-

talion of the Hamburg regiment drove them out at the

point of the bayonet. The second battalion of the 76th

regiment, and the second of the 75th, now entered

Loigny. The other battalions, in conjunction with

two Bavarian battalions, coming on a full run from

Beauvilliers, took Fougeu at the first onset, where

17

many French were made prisoners, and retained their

position in spite of the deadly fire of shells and bullets.

A hot fight raged at Loigny, the French offering a stub-

born resistance. Only after repeated charges (the mili-

tary band heading the troops) were the outskirts of the

village taken. Soon the buildings caught fire, the

spreading flames thus narrowing the scene of action.

The troops now struggled, with butt and bayonet, to

reach the centre of the enemy's position, and for a time

it looked as if the Germans would have to succumb. At

this moment, four Mecklenburg and one Bavarian bat-

talions rushed forward from the southeast of Chateau

Goury; and from three sides the Germans forced their

way into Loigny. Only the cemetery, surrounded by a

high wall, was stubbornly defended by the enemy. At

dusk, the French General Sonis advanced with new re-

serves, among them the Papal Zouaves. At the point

of the bayonet they stormed Loigny and carried some

parts of the place. The danger for the brave Germans

now became imminent. At that moment General von

Tresckow made a forward movement with his entire

reserves, two battalions of the 75th regiment going

round the southern part of the village in the direc-

tion of Fougeu. Lieutenant Colonel von Bohn, with

eight companies of the 75th, 76th, and 89th regiments,

broke in on the left flank of the advancing hostile

masses, forcing the French to retreat, with a loss of

1,100 officers and men. Twenty officers and 2,500

men were taken prisoners ; the French also lost 1

standard, 8 guns, 1 mitrailleuse, and 7 wagons of am-

munition. The cemetery was surrounded and taken by

assault.

That the German infantry is not to be daunted by any

obstacle, however great, is proved by the midnight as-

sault of the tenth army corps in the battle of Le

Mans, January 11th, 1871. Its commander, General

Voigts-Rhetz, had received orders to advance on the night

of the eleventh on the Mulsanne-Vendome high road and

to effect the junction of his fourteenth brigade of cav-

alry with the third corps on the highway at Parigne.

Since January 6th, the tenth army corps had been con-

tinually beset by obstacles; divisions of the enemy,

which like themselves were eager to reach Le Mans,

threatening its left flanks. The 92nd regiment of Bruns-

wickers, together with the 17th regiment, had dispersed

the enemy at Le Tertre and Les Roches and had taken 80

prisoners. This former corps had distinguished itself on

the tenth of December while acting as advance guard for

the tenth corps at Beaugency. In the fight of Vend&me,

December 14th, the Fusilier battalion of the Bruns-

wickers, aided by two companies of the 17th regiment,

took the village of Orgue. On the sixteenth instant the

fifth company of the 92nd regiment, by a well-directed

fire at La Tuilerie, compelled the enemy to abandon

eight of their guns; the tenth battalion of Jitger at-

tacked near Courtriras a wagon-train, driving back the

cavalry and a battalion of infantry which protected the

column; it captured 63 of the wagons, with one mitra-

illeuse, and a wagon of ammunition, and took 100

prisoners. The advanced guard (the Brunswick regi-

ment), three squadrons and one battery, repulsed at

Rouille the eighth regiment of the Garde-Mobile, the lat-

ter losing 230 prisoners. On January 9th, at L'Homme,

the first and second battalions of the 36th regiment suc-

ceeded in driving the enemy back over the Brive creek

;

one battalion of the Brunswickers and the tenth battalion

of rifles repulsed the French and drove them into the

woods of Bersay, with a loss of 50 prisoners. Five bat-

talions of the 79th and 92nd regiments chased the

French out of St. Vincent-de-Lorouer taking 5 officers

and 100 men prisoners. On the eleventh, the flanks of

the tenth corps were also endangered, Ecommoy not

having been taken. The twentieth division advanced

on the great highway, protected on the right by the

tenth battalion of rifles and the first battalion of the

Brunswickers. At Mulsanne the roar of the guns

in the direction of Le Mans was distinctly heard,

which moved General von Voigts-Rhetz at once to at-

tack the enemy in front with the greatest possible force,

and to effect thereby a junction with the third army

corps, in action at Le Mans. Like the glacis of a forti-

fication the ground over which the troops had to march

rises to the heights of Les Morts-Aures, thus affording

no shelter for the advancing force. A French battery,

posted across the road, enfiladed the German advance,

while masked lines of rifles covered the ridge. The 17th

regiment and the Brunswick Fusiliers however scaled

the heights, and the first battalion of the 53rd regiment

finished the fight at the point of the bayonet. Once more

the defenders tried to regain the lost position, but they

were received by a terrific rifle-fire, many hundred

Frenchmen being made prisoners. The heights of Les

fipinettes, thickly lined with riflepits and masked guns,

are however not taken yet. Major von Erichsen decided

on a surprise of the enemy by a midnight attack. In

carrying out his project the troops silently advanced; no

rifleman, no sharpshooter, uttered a sound. The long

line rolled on at two o'clock in the early morning towards

the summit of the hill; a far away sounding hurrah

was heard— the signal that the Germans were vic-

torious. The assault made by the tenth corps under

the darkness of midnight upon an unusual strong

position of the enemy, could only be made by splen-

didly trained, veteran troops, which were able to find

cover at night, barred to them by daylight. The

capture of the strong bastion on the right of the posi-

tion brought about the decisive result of the next day

(January 12th).

Just as bravely as the Prussian regiments of the line

fought the infantry of the allied troops (those of the

Bavarian, Saxon, Wtlrtemberg, and Baden contingents).

Already at Weissenburg and Worth the Bavarians had

rivalled their North-German brethren-in-arms by deeds of

bravery and had given ample proof of their heroism.

Preparatory to the decisive battle at Sedan, General von

der Tann, the commander of the first Bavarian army corps,

had been ordered to occupy Bazeilles, for the purpose of

preventing the departure of the French forces. At four

18

o'clock in the morning the Bavarians with hurrahs en-

tered the village, held by a brigade of marine infantry

of the twelfth corps, and were received with a tremen-

dous fire. The street fighting lasted for six hours. Byseven o'clock not half of the town was taken, the fight-

ing in some places, for instance around the Villa Beur-

mann, being especially fierce. The French batteries and

mitrailleuses, posted north of Bazeilles, poured a hail of

projectiles on the Germans. The gallant Bavarians

having been forced to abandon the southern part of Ba-

zeilles, three fresh battalions of the fourth brigade arrived

and drove the enemy back upon the heights in the direc-

tion of Balan. At last an entrance was gained to the

Villa Beurmann by three battalions of the 10th regiment

and parts of the 13th and the defenders were captured.

A little after ten o'clock Bazeilles fell into the hands of

the Bavarian army corps. After its occupation by the

first and fourth brigade the fight was continued for a

while only by the artillery, till the third division made

its appearance under orders to press forward on the bot-

tom lands of the valley towards Balan and the adjoining

heights. The Bavarian battalions, supported by the first

Bavarian brigade, had to retreat before the renewed ef-

forts of the French to break through. While the French

did not succeed in their design to reach beyond Balan,

the Bavarians at five o'clock in the afternoon pluckily

regained the town. About half-past five, the firing

ceased. The Bavarian corps camped on the blood-stained

ground, after having been continually under fire for

three days, and having lost 121 officers and about 2,000

men. To-day only a simple monument on the road to

Villa Beurmann reminds one of the gallantry shown by

the Bavarians on the first of September, 1870. The

short epitaph reads: "Here rest 500 brave Bavarians."

Of the second Bavarian corps, situate south of Sedan,

with orders to protect the "Great Bavarian Battery"

stationed between Frenois and Vadelincourt, the third

division suffered the considerable loss of 87 officers and

1,829 men.

The regiments of the line of the Saxon (twelfth) army

corps took a praiseworthy part in the battles of the

Franco-German War. The timely action of this corps on

August 18th resulted in the capture of St. Privat, as has

been mentioned. As a contingent of the Army of the

Meuse, commanded by the Crown Prince Albert of Sax-

ony, the twelfth army corps rendered eminent services at

the battle of Sedan (September 1st, 1870). At half-past

three o'clock in the morning of that day the corps had

taken up position at Douzy and at five o'clock an ad-

vanced guard of the twenty-fourth division of infantry

had been despatched in the direction of La Moncelle,

which place was occupied an hour later with the in-

tention of obstructing the enemy in its retreat upon

Mezieres. The opposing forces were the right wing of

the first French corps (Ducrot) and the twelfth corps

(Lebrun), which were stationed between La Moncelle

and Bazeilles. La Moncelle was taken after a short en-

gagement by the 107th regiment. At 6:30 A. M. the

105th regiment joined in the fray. At this time the two

French divisions of Lartigun and Lacratelle pressed

against the eastern banks of the Givonne at Daigny.

Dense swarms of tirailleurs and a few batteries of mitra-

illeuses broke through the village and forced the Saxon

batteries to make a temporary retreat.

The now advancing battalion of Jager however drove

the enemy back by a well-directed and rapid fire, and the

thirteenth battalion of Jager attacked the left flank of

the enemy. The latter captured two mitrailleuses and

one gun, whilst the sixth and seventh companies of the

107th regiment took two guns from the enemy. On the

right wing of the artillery line, now consisting of thirteen

batteries, the 104th regiment arrived about eight o'clock,

attacking Daigny, together with parts of the 105th and

107th regiments and the battalion of Jager. In a hard

fight with the Zouaves and Turkos, a Turko standard

was captured. On the left wing of the Saxon battle

line the forty-sixth brigade of infantry also took part in

the battle, arriving at nine o'clock at Bazeilles. The

enemy made repeated feints, but were driven back upon

the heights of Balan. On the arrival of two additional

battalions of sharpshooters the whole lowlands were

taken by ten o'clock.

At eight o'clock in the morning the Crown Prince

Albert had given orders to the twelfth army corps, after

capturing a section of the Givonne, to advance across Illy

to the heights near Givonne, to surround, with the corps of

the Guards, the enemy, so as to prevent their escape into

Belgian territory. This task was assigned to the twenty-

third division of the twelfth army corps, the sixth com-

pany of which succeeded in capturing two guns. Whenthe division marched up towards Daigny, the battalions

and batteries of the enemy moved out and pushed on in

solid ranks towards the Givonne Valley. Here a terrible

struggle ensued in. the narrow space which environs

Daigny, Haybes, and Fond-de-Givonne. The Saxon

Grenadiers advanced up to Fond-de-Givonne, though

they could not hold it permanently.

Previous to this, the first company of the Body-Grena-

diers, led by First-Lieutenant Kirchhof, had stormed a

small entrenchment west of Haybes, defended by two

mitrailleuses and some infantry. The movement toward

the North, which had already begun, was abandoned, the

French gradually retreating into Sedan. At four o'clock

in the afternoon the Saxon corps, together with the

forty-fifth infantry brigade and eleven batteries, gained

positions to the west of Haybes and Daigny; the forty-

sixth pressed forward to Givonne and the twenty-fourth

division to Daigny. At half-past four the struggle com-

menced anew on the Saxon front. The last effort of

the French to break through between Balan and Ba-

zeilles was frustrated by the forty-fifth infantry bri-

gade, supported by the Saxon batteries and by some of

the Guards.

Only at sunset did the twenty-third division encamp at

Givonne and the twenty-fourth at Daigny, forming a

junction with the fourth corps. The Saxon corps sus-

tained a loss of 62 officers and 1,365 men, and bore a

glorious part in the decisive battle. The French loss

19

included 2,000 men made prisoners of war, besides

eleven guns and one standard.

The battle of Villiers-Champigny, fought on the

thirtieth of November and the second of December, testi-

fies to the bravery shown by the Wilrtemberg infantry.

According to news received November 29th, a sortie of

the Paris army in a southerly or southeasterly direc-

tion was contemplated. The commander of the Army

of the Meuse had therefore received orders to support

with all necessary force the Wiirtembergers, occupying

the line of Villiers-Coeuilly-Ohampigny. At dawn on

the thirtieth of November the Saxons had relieved the

pickets of the Wiirtembergers to the north of Cham-

pigny. The main part of the latter rested at Villiers

and at Coeuilly. Under a deafening cannonade the di-

visions of Faron and Malroy of the first French corps,

after having crossed the Marne together with the second

corps, and having on their left wing the divisions Bert-

haut and Maussion of the second corps, advanced towards

Champigny. The Saxon pickets thereupon fell back

upon Villiers, and the French gained at ten o'clock the

crest of the plateau of the town. The division Faron

having reached Champigny at dawn, the Saxon pickets

had to fall back upon the Hunting-Lodge. While the

French scaled the slopes of Coeuilly, the Wiirtembergers

moved forward to the Hunting-Lodge with the utmost

speed, occupying it and the entrenchments at Coeuilly

and also the splendid fortifications of Villiers. Under a

destructive fire the French were driven back from this

position. General Ducrot, commander-in-chief, now

threw his troops upon the park of Villiers. They rushed

onward with great gallantry only to be received with a

terrific shower of bullets, and to be driven back upon

the protecting slopes of the plateau, with a loss of 500

dead and wounded, including two regimental com-

manders. Simultaneously with this movement, Bert-

haut's division failed in an attack on the south end of

the park and were repulsed by the Wiirtembergers with

a loss of 400 dead and wounded. The Germans at this

time received the support of two companies and a bat-

tery, sent by General von Obernitz, commander of the

Wilrtemberg division. Further enforced by four com-

panies of Saxon infantry the Wiirtembergers stormed

the heights known as No. 100 ; but they were compelled

to fall back upon Villiers with a heavy loss. The Saxons

alone lost all their officers and half of their men. The

batteries of the French division Faron had by this time

arrived at the heights of the Hunting-Lodge, east of

Champigny, when shortly after twelve o'clock the general

attack by the Wiirtembergers was made, under orders

from General von Reitzenstein. After having forced

the French artillery to retreat, the troops were caught

by a terrible fire from the French chassepots. Colonel

von Berger here fell, mortally wounded. After hav-

ing advanced with great bravery up to within one

hundred and fifty meters of the enemy, the Wiirtem-

bergers had themselves to retreat to Coeuilly. Fright-

fully reduced though they were, they succeeded in

reaching the park there which they occupied with the

utmost expedition and so prevented the entrance of the

French infantry.

The assault of the Hunting-Lodge by three Wilrtem-

berg companies met with better success. The assailing

troops soon ousted the French, who fled towards Cham-

pigny. A staff-officer of the Wiirtemberg brigade,

being present, noticed the perilous position of the troops

fighting at Coeuilly; at his request tho Wiirtemberg

companies wheeled about to the right and attacked the

French at Coeuilly on the flanks. At this moment the

Saxon batteries appeared to the south of Villiers. The

French, unable to resist the shock, fell to the rear with a

loss of more than 2,000 men. At two o'clock a renewed

onslaught was made upon Villiers by the French division

Maussion and by the division Berthaut on the neighboring

quarries, both however being repulsed by the Saxons

and the Wiirtembergers.

The division Bellemare of the third French corps, after

having effected a passage over the Marne, advanced to

Brie. The Saxons, threatened in their rear, at three

o'clock withdrew from their positions on the heights of

Brie- Villiers, and retreated towards the cemetery, north

of Villiers. To hinder the French from breaking through,

the Saxon artillery moved at four o'clock on the plateau

between Noisy and Villiers. At dusk the division Bel-

lemare scaled the slopes of Brie, designing to attack

Villiers. A heavy fire by the Saxon and Wiirtemberg

artillery, however, frustrated the last French effort.

All attempts to storm Villiers finally came to naught,

with a loss of over 600 men. The infantry of the enemy

advancing at four o'clock upon the railroad embankment,

was also repulsed by the artillery and by the Saxon and

Wiirtemberg companies engaged there. The loss was

very heavy, that of the Germans being 66 officers and

1,627 men; the loss of the French exceeded 4,000 men.

The day was, nevertheless, a glorious one for the Wiir-

tembergers, 10,000 Germans having coped with 70,000

French.

The contests of the second day of December were of

a like character with those of the thirtieth of November.

The Wiirtemberg brigade, occupying Villiers and the

Hunting-Lodge, entered Champigny at seven o'clock in

the morning, taking many prisoners. The rout of the

French toward Joinville occasioned great disorder and

almost a panic ; it was stopped only by the resolute

action of General Ducrot, who finally succeeded in in-

fusing into the masses of his retreating soldiery some

sign of order and arousing the division Faron to a more

successful resistance at a ravine close to Champigny.

With like success some Wiirtemberg companies reached

the neighborhood of Bois-de-la-Lande, but were re-

pulsed by superior forces of the enemy. In the fur-

ther course of the fray the Saxons, fighting with great

gallantry at Brie, suffered such heavy losses that Gen-

eral von Franseky was induced to draw nearer the

three divisions and the artillery of the second corps.

The Wiirtembergers, having fought since dawn at

Champigny, marched to Coeuilly, where they were re-

lieved by the infantry of the second corps. The second

20

Wflrtemberg brigade arrived at Chennevriers in the

afternoon.

Three companies of the fifth Wtlrtemberg regiment

and the third Wtlrtemberg battalion of Jager, frustrated

the same afternoon the efforts of the French to scale the

walls of the park at Villiers. The 1st Wtlrtemberg

regiment lost in two days 23 officers and 580 men ; the

second Wtlrtemberg battalion of Jager lost 17 officers

and 253 men ; the 7th Wflrtemberg regiment lost 19

officers and 413 men. The Germans won the second

fight, with a sacrifice of 156 officers and 3,373 men, dead

and wounded. The French loss was 426 officers and

9,053 men. On the second of December 30,000 Ger-

mans repulsed 90,000 French.

On December 18th (1870) the Baden regiments of

infantry fought with a death-defying gallantry in the

engagement at Nuits. On the sixteenth of the month,

General von Werder had been ordered to protect the rail-

road lines in the rear by occupying the region of Nuits-

sur-Armancon and Sernur. As the enemy once more

showed activity south of Dijon, General Werder directed

General von Gltlmer again to take the field. The latter

had been recently wounded but was now restored. Hetook command of the Baden division and proceeded with

it in the direction of Dijon, while Werder transferred his

depot or base lines to the right bank of the Sa&ne.

Gltimer left Dijon on the eighteenth with the first and

second Baden brigades, seven squadrons, and six bat-

teries, and moved southward upon different roads. Wer-

der himself kept with the principal column, marching

through Saulon-La-Rue and Epernay. Already at the

Vouge creek small detachments of the enemy appeared,

which, however, were quickly dispersed by the regiment

of Body-Grenadiers forming the advanced guard. In

front of Boncourt, east of Nuits, more stubborn resistance

was encountered. The French General, Cromer, had oc-

cupied Nuits and Boncourt, and his batteries were posted

on the steep heights west of Nuits. During the engage-

ment the remainder of his division arrived by rail, aggre-

gating about 10,000 men. Shortly after noon on the

same day Colonel Baron von Wechmar stormed Bon-

court with a battalion of Fusiliers. The French whodefended the place escaped towards the farmstead of

La Berchere ; this, later on, was also taken by the second

battalion and two companies of Fusiliers. The six bat-

teries of the Baden artillery were fully occupied in driv-

ing the dense masses of hostile sharpshooters from the

vicinity of the railroad embankment. After a while, the

bulk of the troops having arrived, Gltlmer ordered the

first and second battalions of the 2nd regiment to advance

in line of battle on the right, the battalion of Fusiliers be-

ing posted on the left. Gltlmer then extended the right

wing by sending out two companies of the 3rd regiment,

while five squadrons of dragoons meanwhile flanked the

left wing of the enemy near Quincey. A general assault

was now ordered by General Gltlmer, in which the

General and Prince William of Baden were wounded.

Werder now assumed the command, Colonel von Renz

taking the place of Prince William. Von Renz, himself

however fell pierced by three bullets, while his aide-de-

camp also was killed. Baron von Gemmingen, the com-

mander of the 3rd regiment of dragoons, also received a

mortal wound.

The infantry advanced 1,500 paces down the sloping

banks of the Meuzin creek, each soldier leaping his way

down the descent, some 50 paces at a time, and after a

momentary halt pushing on again. The last 400 paces

were covered at a run. The cut itself, and, later on, the

defence behind the long wall on the east side of the

dep6t were taken after a terrible hand-to-hand fight.

At four o'clock the enemy retreated in disorder to Nuits.

The Fusiliers of the 2nd regiment then advanced against

the southern part of the town, but only with the support-

ing fire of two batteries could they enter the place, which

was finally given up by the defenders at five o'clock.

Another column of Baden troops having arrived on the

highway, it dashed into the town at the same moment ; a

third column took Vosne, to the north of Nuits; a fourth

tried in vain to storm the heights of Chaux, to the west

of Nuits, which were occupied by Cremer's batteries.

The Badeners rested at Nuits, encamping in the public

square. Several hundred rifles and much ammunition

were found in the town. The French suffered the loss of

16 officers and 1,700 men, among whom were 650 pris-

oners not wounded. The loss of the Germans amounted

to 18 officers, 211 men killed, and 37 officers and 656

men wounded ; 18 men were missing. The total Ger-

man casualties were 55 officers and 885 men.

The history of the late war abounds in like heroic

deeds, for almost every regiment had the opportunity by

honorable distinction to gain the gratitude and love of

the entire German nation.

Our illustrations represent Prussian regiments of in-

fantry in parade uniform as well as in full marching

order. The Wllrtembergers who formerly differed in

their dress by the double-breasted tunic, are now knownonly by slight differences in the helmet. Another picture

represents the Bavarian infantry, distinguished by the

light-blue color of their uniform and by some charac-

teristics of the helmet. The Saxon infantry is knownby the red-striped binding round the tunic and by the

coat of arms on the helmet. Since 1860, the first twelve

infantry regiments of the line bear the designation of

Grenadiers. As a characteristic mark, they bear on the

breast of the eagle affixed to the helmet a small oval

shield with the entwined initials F. W. R. and wear on

parade black horse-hair plumes in the helmet. This

mark of distinction can be traced far back in history

to these regiments, since they are the oldest troops of the

line, and were created at the reorganization, in 1808, out

of the old regiments which then in part went out of

existence.

Besides these regiments four other regiments of the

Prussian Guards (Emperor Alexander, Emperor Franz,

Queen Elisabeth, and Queen Augusta) bear the name of

Grenadier regiments. The first and second battalions

of the Foot-Guards and of the just named regiments

of infantry Nos. 1 to 12 are designated battalions of

21

Grenadiers and wear white leather belts and straps.

The remaining infantry wear black leather belts and

straps. The name Grenadier regiments is also common

to the two Saxon regiments, Nos. 100 and 101 ; to two

Wiirtemberg regiments, Nos. 119 and 123 ; to two

Baden regiments Nos. 109 and 110; and to one Meck-

lenburg regiment, No. 89.

There are in the German army thirteen regiments of

Fusiliers and one of equal rank (Royal Saxon), the

regiment of Schiitzen (sharpshooters). In Prussia Fred-

erick I formerly had a guard of Fusiliers ; Frederick

the Great created, in 1773, five regiments of Fusiliers;

in 1808 every Prussian regiment received a battalion of

Fusiliers, each of which was especially trained to fight

in skirmishing lines. This special service however fell

into disuse, but the name "Fusiliers" was retained

for the third battalion, these wearing black leather

belts and straps. By an imperial decree, of January,

1889, the white leather belts and straps of the in-

fantry were abolished, except in the case of the afore-

named battalions of the four regiments of Foot-Guards

and the twelve regiments of Grenadiers. Since then

only the third battalion of the aforenamed regiments

are called "Fusiliers."

The above mentioned Saxon regiment of Schiitzen

(sharpshooters), which bears the regular number of 108,

is the only infantry regiment wearing a green uniform

and a shako. An identical uniform, but with white but-

tons, is common to the Saxon battalion of Jiiger (rifles).

In the German army the word "Schiitzen" is synony-

mous with "Jiiger." The formation of special regi-

ments, battalions, and companies of Schiitzen— in exist-

ence at the first half of the century— is not any longer

customary in the Prussian army, only the battalion

of the Guards-Schiitzen (rifles) retaining the above

name. The Saxon regiment of Schiitzen is an elite body,

recruited from superior social material. The horse-hair

plume, fastened to the left side of the shako, is not a

parade ornament, but a part of the regular uniform.

The shako is usually provided with a black cover. The

Jiiger can trace back the history of their organization to

the year 1740. At that time Frederick the Great estab-

lished a detachment of 00 men, consisting of trained

foresters; in 1795 a regiment of Jiiger was formed, of

which a part was taken prisoners of war at Liibeck in

1806. At present the Prussian foresters serve with the

battalions of Ja'ger, the latter receiving by the above

regulation splendid recruiting material and a good corps

of noncommissioned officers. The Prussian battalions

of Jiiger, together with the battalion of Guards-Jiiger

and Guards-Schiitzen are fourteen in number, and are

distributed unequally among the different army corps.

Like the infantry they are equipped and trained under

the same rules of drill and exercise with the gun. In

regard to marksmanship more is required of these troops.

Bavaria has two battalions of Jiiger, Saxony has three,

and Mecklenburg one battalion ; but all of them contain

fewer foresters in their ranks than do the Prussian

battalions.

THE GERMAN CAVALRY

In the infantry the armed foot-soldier represents the

combatant; the cavalryman is only equal to his task when

he is in the saddle. The great expense incurred in

supplying and maintaining the mounts, necessarily limits

the cavalry of any army to a fraction of the whole.

The tasks of the cavalry in war time are various and

manifold ; among these are the reconnoitring of the

enemy's position, guarding against surprise by the

enemy, establishing and maintaining all army com-

munications, and, finally, entering the battlefield in

solid array with the purpose of crushing the hostile

forces. A matter of the utmost importance is the re-

connoissance, which falls to the duty of the cavalry.

This branch of the service is rightly called "the eyes of

the army." Its mission is to veil the army's move-

ments from the enemy, while at the same time re-

porting those of the latter, and this with the utmost

speed and certainty. Special attention is paid to the

training of the German cavalryman in such a manner

that he learns to observe and report his observations

quickly and accurately. The responsibility of larger

reconnoitring parties will, in almost every instance, be

borne by an officer; but cavalry patrols, consisting of

only one noncommissioned officer and a few privates,

have proven equal to the most difficult tasks. The late

war demonstrated that the German cavalryman not only

knows how to ride, but that he possesses the qualities

of resoluteness, coolness, courage bordering on rashness,

adroitness, cleverness, and the proper spirit of self-denial.

As an instance of this, reference may be made to the

bold reconnoitring expedition made by Count Zeppelin,

an officer of the Wiirtemberg general staff, in company

with three Baden officers of the 2nd regiment of Dra-

goons, Winsloe, Baron von Wechmar, Baron von Villiers,

and three privates. It was undertaken from the advance

guard near Hagenbach, in Alsace, in the direction of

Hagenau and Niederbronn. On July 24th the little band

galloped, swinging their sabres with hurrahs, first through

Lauterburg, the border-town of Alsace, situated near the

Rhine. At Neuweiler, half a mile southeast of the former

place, they encountered a French patrol, consisting of a

gendarme and a lancer, who at once opened fire. The

gendarme, missing his aim, was taken prisoner but was

afterwards released ; the lancer, after having wounded

Zeppelin's horse, was put hors de combat. They found

the Selzbach, about three-quarters of a mile to the south,

thinly lined with cavalry. Turning, therefore, to the

westward, and approaching the town of Hundsbach, one

and a quarter miles south of Weissenburg, they cut

22

the telegraph wires connecting Hagenau with Stras-

burg. The riders then reached the watering-place of

Niederbronn, north of Reichshofen, occupied by Chas-

seurs of the 12th regiment. Sabre in hand they gal-

loped at full speed through the place and passed the

night at the Scheuerlenhof, a farmstead south of Reichs-

hofen. The clergyman of Niederbronn having informed

General Bernis, commander of a brigade belonging to

Failly's corps and consisting of the 5th regiment of

Hussars and the 12th regiment of Chasseurs, of the raid,

the French surrounded the farmstead while the German

riders were at breakfast. Wechmar, looking after the

horses, was the first to espy the enemy; the others rushed

into the yard, where a short but fierce fray ensued.

Wechmar dropped a French noncommissioned officer,

and another French lieutenant received two revolver

bullets. Winsloe, however, was laid low, while Wech-

mar was wounded in the side ; Villiers was injured in

the nose, and he and Wechmar were taken prisoners,

together with the dragoons. Zeppelin alone, dragging

a horse along which he had captured from an officer,

cut his way through the enemy. Followed by the

French chasseurs, he galloped at a furious pace towards

the frontier, where he was welcomed with cheers by

the exultant Germans. The pluck of the little band

impressed Marshal Leboef so forcibly that he invited the

two captive officers to dine with him and treated them

with the -utmost courtesy. Winsloe, unfortunately, died

of the wounds received during the fight.

To discover the strength of the troops garrisoned

at Bitsch, Lieutenant von Miinchhausen, of the 13th

regiment of Schleswig-Holstein Dragoons, crossed the

frontier at night with a platoon of horse and posted

them in the adjoining woods. At the same time he sta-

tioned a private on the top of a hill overlooking the sur-

rounding country, from which he was enabled to observe

the French camp and the principal gateway of the fort-

ress. Wearing a waterproof cloak and cap, he himself

stole through the not overwatchful French pickets.

Penetrating the camp, he put on his helmet and called

out at the top of his voice : "Long live his Majesty, the

king of Prussia!" Wheeling about, he saluted in a scorn-

ful way and rode- off mocking the amazed crowd, but

unharmed by the numerous chassepot bullets that came

whistling after him. By the discharge of the rifles the

whole camp became alarmed ; at the same time a number

of troops and a battery marched out of the fortress. In

this way the private was enabled to give a fair estimate

of the garrison's strength. He informed his daring

lieutenant of having seen more troops gathered there

than at any autumn manoeuvre. Hence they must

have numbered about 20,000 men, the corps being that

of General Failly.

On August 7th, 1870, the third squadron of the sec-

ond Body-Hussars No. 2, under Captain von Zastrow,

advanced along the highway of Nancy-Strasburg in pur-

suit of the French army, defeated at Worth. At this

moment a small cavalry patrol was ordered to recon-

noitre the country on the right side of the highway.

The little troop trotted gaily along, between hills clad

with wood and vine, and reached the village of Buchs-

weiler. The place seemed to be occupied by large

detachments of the enemy ; nevertheless, the patrol made

their exit from the town at a point guarded by two sen-

tinels, whom they made prisoners. The leader of the

patrol sent the captives under escort of a hussar back to

the squadron riding in the rear. Not being satisfied

with this coup de main, the leader dashed, with his hus-

sars brandishing their sabres, back into the town, which

was now densely filled with soldiers. Reaching the

public square, our daring riders rushed upon some in-

fantry, gathered in panic-stricken groups, which sought

shelter in the houses. A speedy retreat became a mat-

ter of necessity, the enemy rallying upon their front and

also firing from the houses. But as quickly as the troop-

ers had arrived, as quickly they disappeared before the

eyes of the dumbfounded French, having secured valu-

able information for their captain.

On December 11th, 1870, the 1st Hanoverian regi-

ment of Uhlans sent from Courville a patrol, consisting

of an officer, a noncommissioned officer, and four uhlans,

with the purpose of reconnoitring Le Mans and its sub-

urbs. The patrol rode through Champront, leaving the

highway to the right. Having been fired upon by

franctireurs in the woods, they turned about and reached

Nogent-le-Rotron, La Ferte-Bernard, and arrived at

Conneray, close to Le Mans. Coming in contact with

the enemy's pickets, they ascertained that about 15,000

soldiers of the Garde-Mobile were in position before Le

Mans. The patrol, after having rested for a time at

Le Fert^-Bernard to feed their horses, returned by a

circuitous road in order to evade the enemy, and safely

reached its regiment. They had been in the saddle

from half-past six in the morning till three o'clock on the

following morning, and had covered during these nine-

teen hours twenty-three German or ninety-three English

miles.

On the morning of November 24th, 1870, the 6th regi-

ment of Cuirassiers despatched from Neuville-aux-Bois,

near Orleans, a patrol of ten horse on a reconnoitring

expedition towards Chateaudun. They were ordered to

draw close to the latter town and, if possible, to enter

it. The patrol, though fired upon at every village

which it passed, rode along without taking any notice,

according to their instructions. The bridge over the

Loire, situated on the highway, they discovered was held

by a strong detachment of the enemy. The patrol there-

fore forded the stream south of Chateaudun and reached

the town proper. It was crowded with regular troops,

besides some of the Garde-Mobile and franctireurs,

23

also with some artillery and cavalry. Returning, the

patrol found the passage over the Loire again blocked,

compelling them once more to cross the stream. The

next village to be passed was held by many franctireurs,

whose fire inflicted on the patrol a loss of four men and

five horses. To rest the fagged animals and exhausted

men, the night of the 24th-25th of November was passed

in the adjacent woods. At dawn of the next day the

remnant of the patrol once more rode close up to the out-

skirts of Chateaudun, again gathering valuable informa-

tion about the enemy, and returned to their regiment at

noon of the following day.

These examples, selected from a number of similar ex-

ploits performed by German troopers, illustrate the great

difficulty and risk of reconnoitring, the duty of which, as

we have said, falls upon the cavalry. For this particular

service special formations of " Meldereiter" (troopers

carrying information) also named "Mounted Jager" are

employed, according to a recent imperial decree. They

are independent mounted detachments, composed of

specially trained men of superior physique and intel-

ligence. Such detachments of "Meldereiter," compris-

ing four officers, twelve noncommissioned officers and

ninety-six men, are, as yet, to be found with only a few

army corps ;- though they are henceforth to be established

in all imperial army corps and developed into a special

branch of service. They are to be recruited independ-

ently, the troopers being liable to a service of three

years. Each detachment is to consist of 800 horse.

In open battle, either in an engagement with infantry

and artillery or with horse, the cavalry is employed in

larger or smaller force, according to circumstances. As a

general thing, it may be asserted that a charge of cavalry

against well-disciplined intact infantry has little or no

chance. The chances of success would be better in an at-

tack made on artillery or on infantry having fallen into

disorder. In the late war the French cavalry met with

only very slight success, in spite of its most heroic efforts.

At the battle of Worth, August 6th, 1870, McMahon

ordered the cuirassier regiments of the brigade Michel

and Nansouty's regiment of Lancers to attack the ad-

vancing infantry of the eleventh army corps (Hessian-

Nassau-Thuringian). With a death-defying spirit the

regiments led the charge : in the first line of the attack-

ing columns were the cuirassiers, in rear of whom were

the lancers. The tremendous shock was directed against

parts of the 32nd and 80th regiments of the eleventh

corps, and the pioneers of the same corps. Without

forming any squares the infantry received the assailing

French cavalry indiscriminately. The effect of the steady

well-directed, and rapid fire was terrific. The three

French regiments were annihilated in short order, without

having reached the infantry line at all.

In much the same way, on the 1st of September, 1870,

at the battle of Sedan, the stupendous cavalry charges,

thrice made by the divisions of Gallifet and Margueritte

at Floing, were foiled by the steadfastness of the opposing

German troops. When the division Liebert commenced

to waver, Ducrot summoned General Margueritte to

make an assault with his cavalry division in the direction

of Floing. Margueritte having been mortally wounded

while reconnoitring in the neighborhood, General Gal-

lifet took command of the horse, the troopers calling out

at the top of their voices :" Go ahead ! revenge the Gen-

eral!" The 1st regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique, with-

out waiting for further orders, dashed madly upon the

German lines. Gallifet, with a farewell to his officers,

put himself at the head of the 3rd and 4th regiments

of Chasseurs d'Afrique, followed by the brigade Tilliard

(the 1st regiment of Hussars and the 6th of Chasseurs

d'Afrique), the brigade Lavaresse (the 1st and 7th regi-

ments of Lancers), and also by several other squadrons

of cavalry. A hurricane of riders, 4,000 in number,

swept down the slope towards Floing, only to sac-

rifice themselves as they did at Worth. Before they

reached the German lines, they fell into disorder; rifle

bullets and shell crashed into their ranks, throwing the

riders into confusion; but they wildly dashed upon a

battery of eight guns. The men who served the pieces

defended themselves with their side-arms and sponges.

The fifth company of the Weimar regiment, under Cap-

tain von Schellenbiihel, repulsed the riders by its rapid

fire. Attacked in the rear by the cuirassiers, the com-

pany faced about and drove them back. The skirmishing

lines of the Hessians and Nassauers were broken through

at some points, but the companies in the rear dispersed

the bulk of the French horse with well-directed volleys,

many falling down the steep heights to destruction in

the stone-quarries. Two squadrons of cuirassiers broke

through the Prussian infantry lines and charged two

squadrons of the 18th Hussars. Major von Griesheim

faced them with two platoons and attacked them with

the other platoons on their right flank ; they then fled

towards Floing, where the remainder were either cap-

tured or killed. As badly fared the lancers in their

attack on the 83rd regiment; they overran the skirmish-

ing lines, but succumbed to the rapid fire of the infantry

at a distance of thirty paces. Other squadrons were

annihilated by the fire of the 46th regiment and the

fifth battalion of Jager.

The second cavalry charge was directed against the

same troops as those attacked by the first. Three com-

panies of JSger, having just scaled the heights near

Floing, a squadron of cuirassiers dashed upon their left

wing and also on the 46th regiment, and were followed

by several squadrons of chasseurs. The cuirassiers

were almost swept off the field, while the chasseurs fled

to the left. A troop of French hussars found themselves

opposed in their advance by some German infantry

;

they then wheeled round the left wing, but the German

/A

rifles, turning about checked their further progress

;

and in a moment most of the hussars succumbed, the

remainder escaping towards the lowlands.

Before the third attack, Gallifet remonstrating with

Ducrot against the unavailing sacrifice of the riders, the

latter replied: "Sacrifice the horse by all means for the

honor of our arms!" "Well then," answered Gallifet,

"we shall charge as long as a rider is left," and off he

dashed with his men. But before they could reach the

front, their ranks were broken by the fire of two Ger-

man batteries, which, reaching the summit of the hill,

poured their shells into the flanks of the advancing

French riders. In the ensuing turmoil man and horse

fell in a blood-weltering mass; the remainder escaped

into the Garenne woods and on towards Oazal. In the

three charges the French lost 83 officers and 709 men

;

the generals Girard and Tilliars were also killed. King

William, who closely watched the fight, exclaimed:

"Alas, the brave men!" as he observed the repeated,

but fruitless, attacks of the French troopers.

The feat, however, in which the French cavalry had

failed, both at Worth and at Sedan, was accomplished

at Vionville, on August I6th, 1870, by the death-defying

valor and self-sacrificing spirit of the German cavalry.

The German infantry, the strength of which had been

reduced to a minimum by incessant assaults made by

vastly superior French forces, and lasting for hours, was

at Vionville at the point of succumbing. The cavalry,

under General von Bredow, at this juncture received

orders to ride down the French. "You must break

through at the woods, General!" were the instructions

delivered by Colonel von Voigts-Rhetz. General von

Bredow replied: "I shall break through the infantry at

the woods?" "Certainly," was the reply: "We have

already taken the village and cannot draw close to the

woods ; the fate of the battle depends on your cleaning

up everything that yet stands along the road. You

must attack, and that most energetically!" General von

Bredow looked at his riders and at the route to be taken;

he knew that only a few of his brave men would return.

Into two orders of battle his columns were formed: in the

first were three squadrons of the Magdeburg regiment

of Cuirassiers, led by Count von Schmettow, on the left

wing along the border of the woods ; and in the second

were three squadrons of the Altmarkische regiment of

Uhlans No. 16, led by Major von Dollen, on the right

wing, one hundred paces to the rear; the gallant Bredow

with his staff keeping about in line with the cuirassiers.

With loud hurrahs the six squadrons started on a trot,

wheeling about to the left in the valley. Traversing the

slope they deployed to the right. After having reached

the plateau, they rode at breakneck speed against the

batteries of Tixier and those of the sixth corps, and

against the division of Lafont de Villiers. They re-

ceived on the left the chassepot fire of Tixier's infantry

and that of the 9th regiment ; in front they had to face

shell and shrapnel. Of the first battery only two pieces

had time to limber up, but before this happened the cui-

rassiers fell upon them like a hurricane. Ahead of all

was Schmettow, with Lieutenant Craignish of Campbell

at his side, and a noncommissioned officer. Schmettow

unhorsed the French major, while Campbell and the ser-

geant put another officer hors de combat. In the battery

everything was laid low ; the "wild hunt" dashed against

the infantry of Lonnay's brigade, formed in two columns,

on the side of which was a battery. The cuirassiers

rode down the front column, breaking through their fire;

the uhlans closing up, the battery was captured and

everything that did not take to flight was cut to pieces.

The second line of the French was now attacked. Here,

after an advance of three thousand paces, the small body

of horse was surrounded on all sides, first by the division

Forton and the division Valabregue breaking forth from

an opening in the woods. Two squadrons of the French

cuirassiers (the 10th) fell upon the rear of Schmettow's

riders, the 7th Cuirassiers fell on their flanks, the brigade

Murat of the Dragoons threw themselves in front, fol-

lowed by Valabregue's Chasseurs and Hussars, 3,100

horse against 800 of the six squadrons.

The exhausted riders had now to cut their way back.

After rally had been sounded, General von Bredow

retreated a short distance to the valley of Rezonville,

then wheeled about to the right. Schmettow's aide-de-

camp fell from his horse wounded, one trumpeter was

shot down, Captain von Heister was unhorsed after

receiving thirteen wounds. Campbell tried to wrest a

standard from the French cuirassiers and was rescued

only by the most heroic efforts of his men. Count von

Kalckreuth received fifteen wounds, Major von Dollen

was unhorsed and taken prisoner, while Captain Mayer

of the cuirassiers was killed. The brigade, however,

forced its way back through the batteries previously

ridden down, and through the columns of infantry which

followed them up and fired several volleys into them.

Unpursued by the enemy, however, they arrived beyond

Vionville. The wounded and unhorsed riders, and

those detained by the exhaustion of their horses, had

to surrender. Schmettow ordered the first trumpeter

whom he met to sound the regimental signal. The

trumpet was found to be pierced by a bullet, and its

sound was like that of a dirge, penetrating to the very

marrow of the bones. Of eleven platoons of cuirassiers

only three could be mustered, consisting of seven officers

and seventy men, and six officers and eighty men of the

uhlans. Later on it was ascertained that the Cuirassiers

had lost 7 officers, 189 men and 209 horses, the Uhlans

lost 9 officers, 174 men and 200 horses; of the total force

of 800 men, 363 were left dead or wounded, officers in-

cluded. The sacrifice of the gallant band of heroes had,

however, not been made in vain, a breathing spell having

25

been accorded to the almost exhausted Brandenburg

infantry.

Another successful charge of the German cavalry on

the French infantry was effected in the afternoon of the

same day. Again the situation of the German army had

become a critical one after the onset of the brigade

Wedell, and again it fell to the lot of the cavalry to

bring relief. At six o'clock General von Brandenburg

and General von Rheinbaben received orders to make a

reckless charge. Colonel von Auerswald, accompanied

by Count von Brandenburg, led forth three squadrons of

the first Dragoon-Guards, going at a trot to attack the

right flank of the French. In the face of the enemy's

galling fire, Auerswald rushed upon the 13th regiment

of Grenier's brigade Bellecourt, the Dragoons breaking

through and riding down a part of the French infantry.

A terrible pell-mell ensued around the eagles, and from

all sides the projectiles crashed into the dragoons; but

the 57th regiment (brigade Wedell) effected its retreat

over the highway, the enemy's infantry being compelled

to countermarch through the ravine. Of the Dragoon-

Guards, who rallied in the rear of the batteries, five out

of thirteen officers were killed, the remainder being

wounded, while 125 men and 220 horses were disabled.

Here many of the Prussian nobility, worthy of their an-

cestors, laid down their lives: Colonel von Auerswald,

who, though mortally wounded and compelled to sur-

render his command to Captain the Prince Hohenzol-

lern, cheered the King. Major von Kleist, Captain the

Count Westarp, Prince Henry XVII of Reuss, Count

von Wesdehlen, one Schwerin, one Flemming, and the

two brothers von Tresckow, were among the slain.

In the meantime, the second regiment of Chasseurs

d'Afrique attacked, from the north, the left flank of

mounted Guards' battery, protected in front by the

fourth squadron of the Dragoon-Guards. Captain von

Hindenburg of the Guards faced the four squadrons of

the enemy; of his 140 men 67 were laid low, Hinden-

burg being one of them; but the battery was saved, and

could proceed to Mars-la-Tour. The Dragoon-Guards

were relieved by the 13th (Schleswig-Holstein) regiment

of Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Count Finkenstein.

The Chasseurs d'Afrique were repulsed and pursued to

the heights of Ville sur Yron.

There now appeared on the open ridge of Ville sur

Yron a large force of French cavalry. Ladmirault led

forth the Chasseurs d'Afrique of Du Bareil's division,

the cavalry division Legrand and the brigade Garde de

France upon the plateau stretching towards the Yron

creek. He wheeled about to the left and then advanced

to the right in four compact masses overlapping each

other, the brigade of Montagu's Hussars forming the

van. On the German side the cavalry forces drawn up

between Trouville and Puxieux started to give battle:

in front were the 13th (Schleswig-Holstein) Dragoons

under Major von Trotha, followed by the fourth squad-

ron of the second Dragoon-Guards. They drew some-

what to the right and wheeled about half to the left

towards Montagu's brigade of Hussars. In the rear

Barby's brigade appeared, wheeling to the left around

Mars-la-Tour, followed by the 4th Westphalian Cuiras-

siers, the 13th Hanoverian Uhlans, and the 19th Olden-

burg Dragoons ; in the second rear column were the 16th

Hanoverian Dragoons and the 10th Magdeburg Hussars.

As the 3,000 German horsemen, after having reached

the heights north of Mars-la-Tour, sighted the enemy,

they broke forth in triumphal cheers: "There they are,

there they are!" they cried. The Schleswig-Holstein

Dragoons, waiting majestically for the charge of Monta-

gu's brigade of Hussars, delivered fire and dashed upon

the enemy, sabre in hand and with deafening cheers. Aterrible conflict ensued, the small horses of the French

being run over by the heavy German steeds. The French

succeeded in breaking through, only to be received and

cut to pieces by the Magdeburg Hussars. General von

Montagu was taken prisoner. The squadrons separated;

wheeling about, the Dragoons also took part in the at-

tack. General Legrand now rushed forward with the

French Dragoons ; the first squadron of the Oldenburg

Dragoons fell upon them, most of them being unhorsed,

as only sixty riders kept their saddles. But the

French shock was checked ; a furious hand-to-hand

encounter took place. General Legrand's riders were

cut to pieces by the Oldenburgers ; the Hanoverian

Dragoons also closing up, the Germans were victorious.

On from the extreme left swept the 13th Uhlans and

fell on the flank of the Empress' Dragoons, the fifth

squadron of the second Dragoon-Guards moving against

them from another quarter. Colonel von Schack, the

leader of the Hanoverian Uhlans, rode deep into the

ranks of the enemy, where he fell. The bulk of the

Chasseurs d'Afrique rushed upon the Hanoverian Uhlans,

but at this moment the Westphalian Cuirassiers broke

into the Chasseurs in a wedge-shaped mass, the Hano-

verian Dragoons also attacked them on flank and rear.

The earth trembled under the stamping of the 6,000

horse, man fought against man with long sword, sabre,

carbine, and revolver. Not long did the furious melee

last ; the enemy's horsemen extricating themselves, first

one by one, then in squads, and soon the whole mass

escaped, disappearing like a huge cloud of dust in a

northerly direction, pursued by the German riders to the

woods of Bruville. The trumpets sounded the rally, the

field was cleared of the enemy. The regiments drew up

and returned to Mars-la-Tour, later on to Puxieux. The

Schleswig-Holstein Dragoons covered the retreat, fol-

lowed at a considerable distance by Clerembault's French

troopers. Of the second Dragoon-Guards, Count Finken-

stein had fallen ; Colonel von Schack of the Hanoverian

Uhlans was killed in the battle, and his body was not

26

recovered for some time. The Oldenburgers lost 13

officers and 104 men.

The German cavalryman, being armed with a carbine,

and trained to its use, is at the same time qualified for

the duties of a foot-soldier. He is thoroughly drilled

in the use of firearms and well versed in the duties of

the tirailleur and picket service. The cavalry carbine,

model '88, now also known as rifle '91, is somewhat

shorter and lighter than the infantry rifle of '88, with

a sight adjusted to 1,317 yards; otherwise it has the con-

struction and calibre of the infantry rifle, and uses

the same ammunition. In light warfare it is the duty

of the German cavalry to seize and carry off outposts of

the enemy by surprise ; to destroy telegraph lines in the

enemy's country; to blow up viaducts and bridges; and

to do the foraging. For the purpose of destroying tele-

graph and railroad connections the German cavalry is

provided with the necessary tools and explosives. But

not alone is it their duty to wreck the means of inter-

course in a hostile country, but it is also their duty to

reconstruct, where necessary, telegraph lines and erect

new and temporary bridges. Of much moment is the

laying of telegraph lines, performed by detachments of

cavalry in the open field. Several riders provided with

coils of wire gallop ahead, followed by others carrying

the necessary material, including insulators. Stopping

every hundred yards, a lance is thrust in the ground and

the wire is fastened thereon. As a matter of course,

trees, stakes, and the like, if near by, serve the same

purpose. This is continued till the whole work is done,

and that within a very short time. The construction of

a temporary bridge also takes surprisingly little time

;

it is accomplished by laying across the stream a sawn

wood trestle, or in an emergency by the throwing across

of two lances, or by the laying down of hollow cylinders

of tin or aluminium. The cavalry does not need these

bridges, as, under favorable circumstances, it merely

crosses the streams by swimming the horses, even in the

case of large detachments. Drills on an extensive scale

for training man and horse for this feat take place

annually at all the depots of cavalry regiments.

The German cavalry is distinguished as Cuirassiers,

Uhlans, Hussars, and Dragoons. While the existence of

these various classes of the fighting service cannot be

called an absolute necessity, especially since the drill,

tactics, and employment of the different regiments in

war have become uniform, historical tradition and differ-

ence in the uniforms favor and justify the retention of

this classification. The principle of unity in the cavalry

is absolutely followed in the German army and is exem-

plified by their arms, of a uniform pattern, consisting

of the lance, with a small flag showing the provincial

colors, the carbine, sabre, and long sword— the heavy

straight sabre of the cuirassiers. The lance having been

introduced as the uniform thrusting-weapon in the eatire

German cavalry, Major-General von Specht, a prominent

military author, comments upon it as follows

:

" With the lance of the Roman legionary the side of the

crucified Christ was pierced. In commemoration of this the

Holy Lance of Longinus was incorporated with the conse-

crated arms, and the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the

festival of the arms of Christ

—

festum armorum Christi.

"This weapon is a primeval one. Armed with the

spear of pointed wood, provided by progressive skillful-

ness with a point of sharpened horn, bone, or flint, the

man of the stone-age went forth to kill the game for his

sustenance, or to ward off animals of pre_y. With the

bronze-headed spear the Persians and Greeks fought at

Marathon, and provided with an iron point was the

hasta and the later lancea, besides the sword, the main

weapon of the Roman armies. Under the clash of the

lances the Visigoths chose their king on the battlefield

;

while to the Franks the 'King's Lance' was the symbol

of sovereignty ; the Holy Lance with the imperial sword

being the coronation insignia of Charles the Great.

"Since the time of Alexander the Great's lancers 'Sari-

sophores,' the lance was pre-eminently the weapon of

the cavalry; it was used by the knights at the tourna-

ments, those warlike games of times of peace, and on

the battlefield ; especially was it used by the knightly

crusaders, the retinue of each being termed so many' lances.' It remained the chief weapon throughout the

Middle Ages in the pike of the foot-soldier (Pikeniers)

and in the spear of the Spear-riders (Spiessers) and

Kyrissers (Cuirassiers).

"With the decay of chivalry and the introduction of

firearms, the lance disappeared from the army. Gus-

tavus Adolphus banished it from the Swedish cavalry,

his example being followed by most of the European

Powers. With the Slavs, however, as with the Cossacks,

it continued to be the national weapon, the Polish cavalry

showing great prowess and skill in its use. After their

model, Frederick the Great created his ' Bosniaks,' Na-

poleon I his Lancers; in Austria the Uhlans were insti-

tuted and their numbers gradually increased. But by

the continual improvement of firearms, by the steady

increase of infantry, and their efficiency and usefulness

in battle, the employment of cavalry in actual fighting

and its power of attack seemed greatly reduced. The

necessity of the cavalry being provided with an accurate-

firing weapon was so fully demonstrated that the value

of the side-arm relatively dwindled into insignificance,

though the Uhlan had gained fame by his menacing

lance during the Franco-German war of 1870-71.

"But, on Emperor William II ascending the throne, a

thorough innovation took place. Being himself a splen-

did cavalryman, he recognized the importance of the

lance as the 'queen' of weapons, and in 1889 the equip-

ment of the entire cavalry with the lance, previously used

only by the Uhlans, was ordered. Unchanged in its

measurement,—the wooden shaft buried a thousand years

in the remains of the pile-workers was about ten feet

long,— the German lance now weighs three pounds nine

ounces, with a length of ten feet five inches. Originally

made of wood,— the Austrian weapon was of ash, and

the French of kings' bamboo from Tonkin,—the German

lance is now a tube, made of rolled steel-plate. The

weapon carries below its head a small flag, showing the

27

provincial colors, and is adorned with an eagle, as the dis-

tinction of the noncommissioned officers. Thus the lance

represents the uniform weapon of the German cavalry,

its superiority over other weapons being acknowledged

by some and disputed by others.

"The advantage of the lance in single combat and in

the pursuit of an enemy, either on foot or on horseback,

is undoubtedly great, and the shock of a forest of lances,

striking in appearance, seems to be irresistible. It is,

however, claimed that the excitement of man and horse

completely excludes in the rider a correct judgment and

proper command of the situation; that the man riding at

full speed is liable to miss his aim, and, fearing to be

unhorsed, is unable to thrust with the necessary force.

Furthermore, it is asserted that the rider thrusts less,

but awaits the onset,— the wounds to be inflicted prov-

ing less serious,— and thus the importance and ef-

fectiveness of the lance is greatly overestimated. For

close combat, following the inroad of the enemy, the

lance is deemed to be too long and cumbersome. Too

much is required of the muscles ; too much is expected of

the agility and training of man and horse, which are

absolutely necessary for a successful handling of the

weapon; finally, it is claimed that the load which the

horse has to carry— the man being armed with carbine,

sabre, and lance— is excessive. The question of light-

ening the horse's load is now in a fair way to be

solved, improvements having been made from time to

time to effect a lightening. On the other side of the

argument, it is insisted that the tax put upon rider and

horse has proven a blessing. The high value bestowed

upon the exercise with the lance and expressed by pre-

senting those men who excel in the drill with special

marks of distinction, has brought the training of the

horseman in power, agility, and control of the horse to

the goal of perfection, assuring the German cavalry a fu-

ture of glorious results. This efficiency is the consequence

of a training at once thorough, unceasing, and practical.

"The lance-shaft, which has at the upper end a four-

edged point 12.9 inches long and made of well-tempered

steel, is also pointed at the butt-end, so that, at close

combat, thrusts can be made to the rear as well as to the

front, without the necessity of reversing the lance. Whenthe rider is mounting or dismounting during a halt, the

butt-end of the lance is thrust in the ground. Mounted,

the lance rests in the socket, fastened to the stirrup.

On parade, at reviews, and at the command 'attention!'

the lance is held with the right hand in a vertical posi-

tion; on the march it hangs in the lance-knot on the

right arm at the command ' lances on arms !

' During

drill and in active service the lance is seized by the

middle of the shaft, and carried by the hand held upon

the right thigh in such a manner that the head-end,

slightly slanting, rests near the horse's ear, while the

butt-end points downward to the rear. This is the mode

in which the weapon is held at the command 'lances on

thigh!' From this position, at the command 'lower the

lance to the charge!' the head is brought to a level,

the butt-end is adjusted to the arm and pressed upon

the body, while the right hand grasps the lance by the

centre of the shaft back of the ring. The lance retains

this position when the horseman rides at a rapid gait

towards a stationary or an advancing object,—when he

thrusts at a full run. In the thrust to front, rear, and

side, and towards the ground, the hand pushes forward

the lance, which hangs on the arm, strongly and with a

burrowing motion.

"After thorough preparatory exercises on foot, calcu-

lated to strengthen the muscles of the arm, and daily

repeated during the entire service of the cavalryman,

the training on horseback commences. This is so sys-

tematically increased, that the horseman, riding at full

gallop, can strike any stationary or advancing object with

never-failing skill, and is able, at the same time, to cope

successfully with two or more adversaries, either on

horse or on foot, and armed with lance, sword, and bayo-

net. Thus the lance, handled every day easily and play-

fully, becomes a terrible weapon, giving the rider

such self-confidence that nothing appears to him unat-

tainable or irresistible. This was the main point con-

sidered at the introduction of the lance as the weapon

of the entire German cavalry. The chief functions of

the cavalry in time of war, besides the protection of its

own army and the reconnoissance of the enemy, also in-

clude the task of clearing the field of the enemy's

cavalry. The fight with the hostile cavalry is the first

duty of this arm of the service ; the superior leading of

the army, due to an effective reconnoissance, is the final

result. ' Without such first duty there can be no after-

result.' Bereft of the cavalry, the hostile army is a

'blind lion',' unfit for any offensive movements.

" In the encounter of cavalry with cavalry the weight

of the clash is, however, the main issue. For the shock,

the lance is without doubt the superior weapon. Con-

vinced of the superior power of thrusting, and morally

raised to the point of invincibility, the wall of riders,

bristling with lances and rushing on like a torrent, will be

indeed irresistible. The after-thrusts made in pursuit of

the enemy, will be felt by their deadly effects. The

cavalry, thus having fulfilled its strategical task, will

also, when tactically employed in the battle, and possess-

ing the maximum of physical and moral power, achieve

the highest points. The lance will prove to be the real

weapon of the battlefield, whose thrusts a prostrate

enemy, though out of reach of the sabre, cannot escape.

" In view of these facts, the importance of the lance be-

gins to dawn upon European armies, and the apprehen-

sion of the superiority of the German cavalry has risen

to such a degree, that the reinstatement of the lance and

the increase of lancer regiments are now actually in prog-

ress. But the weapon alone is not the deciding point.

Its effectiveness depends on the hand which wields it

and the spirit which controls the arm. Emperor Wil-

liam has been instrumental in reviving and fostering the

old martial spirit of the cavalry. To put it on its own

feet, fit for all strategical tasks, and render it independ-

ent of the infantry, it has been provided with a good

firearm—an excellent carbine. To equip it for the

highest deeds of valor on the battlefield, the Emperor

has supplied the cavalry with the best thrusting-weapon

— the lance; at the same time infusing into this branch

of the service a confidence and enthusiasm for the weapon

that in the future will insure the best results. This

enthusiasm the German cavalry will retain as long as it

preserves the energetic equestrian spirit and adheres

to the saying of the old field-marshal, Wrangel : 'Every

day is lost to a cavalryman, on which he does not drill

or exercise with horse and weapon.' "

28

According to the lighter and heavier material of horse

and men, and for the purpose of easier training and

greater efficiency of the different regiments in war time,

they are distinguished as heavy and light cavalry. Out

of the typical mediasval knight, heavily armed with

a coat of mail, armlets, and greaves, the cuirassier

of to-day has developed. Of the former iron-armor

only a comparatively light cuirass is left, useless against

modern weapons, the penetrating force of which has

been brought to such a high state of perfection ; the

modern cuirass serves only for parade purposes. In

the Seven Years' War the Seydlitz regiment of Cuiras-

siers, at the head of which was General von Seydlitz,

won special distinction for their brilliant charges against

the French and Russians at the battles of Rossbach and

Zorndorf. The German army has ten regiments of

Prussian Cuirassiers, including the regiment Gardes du

Corps, and the regiment of Cuirassier-Guards. To the

same class belong the two regiments of Bavarian "Heavy

Riders,"the Saxon Horse-Guards, and the Saxon Cara-

biniers ; making a total of fourteen heavy regiments.

Apart from the Saxon and Bavarian regiments, the

white or blue jerkins of leather with colored collars, the

white leather trousers, high riding-boots, and heavy

steel cuirassier helmet are common to the cuirassiers.

The regiment Gardes du Corps deserves special notice.

A Garde du Corps was in existence under the first

Prussian king, Frederick I, but it was disbanded by his

economical successor. Frederick the Great revived the

corps in 1740, making it one squadron strong. To-day the

regiment has five squadrons, like the rest. It is stationed

at Potsdam, and is recruited from choice material of both

men and horses, the latter being chestnut in color. It

has the proud distinction of having the King of Prussia

for its honorary colonel, who is also honorary captain of

the first squadron, hence called the body-squadron.

Another picture shows the Cuirassier of the 7th (Mag-

deburg) regiment of Seydlitz, which, together with the

16th (AltmHrkische) Uhlans, at the battle of Vionville-

Mars-la-Tour lost more than half of its men while riding

into the veTj jaws of death on that ever memorable day.

The late imperial chancellor, Prince Bismarck, was the

honorary colonel of the regiment since the twenty-seventh

of January, 1894, the twenty-fifth military jubilee of the

present Emperor, William II, and it was the uniform of

this regiment that he always preferred. Still another

picture represents a soldier of the Saxon Horse-Guards.

Especially striking is the well-fitting light-blue tunic

with broad white braiding.

The Horse-Guards belong to the oldest troops, their

history reaching back to the year 1680. The present

name " Gardereiter " was conferred upon them in the

year 1822. The other Saxon heavy cavalry regiment,

previously mentioned, is called "Carabiniers." The uni-

form has the color of the cornflower; while the facings

of the Horse-Guards are white, those of the Carabiniers

are black.

Though the cuirassiers originated in the heavily armed

riders of the Middle Ages, the uhlans and hussars are to

be traced back to the national light troopers of Poland and

Hungary. Until recently, the uhlans alone carried the

lance as a characteristic weapon, now common to all

mounted troops. Besides the lance, the uhlans wear the

traditional uniform, reminding one of the Polish national

dress and consisting of the "ulanka," "chapka," and the

overcoat, and, in place of the shoulder-straps, epaulets.

In Prussia, Frederick the Great first instituted a regiment

of uhlans in the year 1741 ; which, however, not having

proved itself worthy in the face of the enemy, was trans-

formed into a regiment of hussars in 1742. In the year

of 1808 two Prussian regiments of uhlans were formed.

At present the German army has twenty-five regiments

of uhlans. Prussia has three regiments of Uhlan-Guards

and of the line the regiments 1st to 16th (see picture),

Bavaria owns two regiments, Saxony the 17th and 18th

regiments, and Wtlrtemberg the 19th and 20th regiments.

In the late war, the French soldiers and country peo-

ple stood aghast at the uhlans. With surprising quick-

ness their patrols appeared here and there, always

unexpectedly; the cry "les ulans, les ulans," was suf-

ficient to strike terror everywhere.

Poland being the abode of the uhlans, Hungary may

rightly be called the native seat of the hussars. Wefind the first Prussian hussars during Frederick Wil-

liam's time, in the year 1721. At that period a troop of

thirty hussars was attached to a regiment of uhlans.

Frederick the Great raised the hussars to high rank as

riders and organized nine regiments. Well known in

folklore are the heroic exploits of the Zietenhussars,

which regiment shared in nearly all the pitched battles of

the Silesian and Seven Years' wars. The third Prussian

Hussars of to-day bear the name " Zietenhussars." At

present, the German army has twenty regiments of hus-

sars ; the Prussian contingent has a regiment of Body-

Hussars, also the regiments 1st to 16th, and the 17th

regiment of Brunswick Hussars. Saxony owns the 18th

and 19th regiments of Hussars, the other contingents hav-

ing none. The traditional uniform and equipment of the

hussars include the braided tunic and busby or fur cap,

tightly-fitting trousers, and a sabretasche. On the front

of the cap is a ribbon on which is the star of the guards

or a monogram. The first and second Body-Hussars and

the 17th regiment of Brunswick Hussars wear, as a special

distinction, a skull as a traditional sign of this regiment

giving no quarter. On the picture we see a soldier of the

first Body-Hussars with the skull. The black hussars

were called by the French, who dreaded them on account

of their great boldness, "JTussards de la mort."

The dragoons are descendants of the arkebusiers,

who often fought on foot, and on some occasions

29

acted as mounted infantry. These troops existed as early

as the time of the Great Elector, the name of "Old

Derflinger" being closely associated with the history of

that branch; but not until the time of Frederick the

Great were the dragoons considered cavalrymen in the

proper sense of the word. The German army has in all

twenty-eight regiments of dragoons, of which the follow-

ing belong to the Prussian contingent : two bodies of

Dragoon-Guards and the regiments 1st to 16th; the 17th

and 18th (Mecklenburg) regiments ; the 19th (Olden-

burg) regiment ; the 20th, 21st, and 22nd (Baden) regi-

ments; and the 23rd and 24th (Hessian) regiments.

Wilrtemberg has the 25th and 26th regiments ; Saxony

has no dragoons ; Bavaria has six regiments of Chevau-

legers, perfectly conforming to the above regiments of

dragoons. The name "Chevaulegers" is derived from

the French of the time of Henry IV, designating light

cavalry equipped with firearms. During Napoleon's

time the higher princes of the Rhenish Confederation

conferred the French name upon their light cavalry regi-

ments, which has been retained and officially used

by Bavaria. Characteristic of the dragoons are the

helmet and blue tunic of the infantry. The different

regiments are distinguished by the color upon their

collars and cuffs. An illustration in the book depicts

the Hessian dragoons, another depicts the Hanoverian

dragoons, distinguished by the small flag on the lance.

HOUSE ARTTr.LEllY

THE GERMAN ARTILLERY

The third of the chief branches of the army's service

is the artillery. Equipped with cannon, it forms, with

the other two branches, the infantry and cavalry, the

main combatant force of the army. The artillery is

clothed similarly with the infantry, with this distinction,

however, that the helmet is surmounted by a ball instead

of a spike. The collar and cuffs of the tunic are black,

the shoulder-straps are red and bear the number of the

regiment. The artillery is classified into manoeuvring

and garrison corps, according to its employment, either

to fight closely associated with other troops and in posi-

tions subject to change, or independently in positions

of a stable or stationary character. The manceuvring-

artillery is employed chiefly in field operations, and is,

for this reason, called field-artillery. As stated under

the organization of the army, it is armed with a field-gun

of a uniform pattern, made of improved cast steel, with

steel-plate caissons. The gun is of 3.56 in. calibre and

fires a shrapnel shell and canister shot (case shot). The

field-artillery brigades consist each of two regiments;

the eleventh, twelfth, and second Bavarian brigades, how-

ever, consist each of three regiments. The regiments com-

prise from three to four mounted divisions (Abteilungen),

each of two to three batteries ; while twenty-two regi-

ments have each one division of horse-artillery. The total

strength of the field-artillery is 173 divisions, formed

into 43 regiments, with 447 mounted batteries and 47

horse-batteries. The single batteries vary on a peace-

footing. Some are drawn by four, others by six horses

;

a certain number have two ammunition wagons. There

are in time of peace 2,542 guns and 97 ammunition

wagons. Prussia furnishes 346 mounted batteries and

38 horse-batteries, formed into 2 regiments of the Guards

and 31 regiments of the line. The Guards artillery is

distinguished by its yellow braiding and by the eagle

peculiar to the Guards affixed to the helmet. The horse-

hair plumes worn by these troops on parade are white,

while those of the horse-artillery are black. Bavaria has

48 mounted batteries, and 6 horse-batteries; the horse-

hair plumes of the latter are red. The Saxon artillery

consists of 30 mounted batteries and 3 horse-batteries,

forming 3 regiments. As may be seen in the illustra-

tions, the Saxon artillery wear a green uniform with red

facings. This equipment, only to be found in the Saxon

contingent, was introduced in the year 1714, and is

retained up to the present time, regardless of changes

made in the cut of the uniform and in the style of

the head-dress. Wilrtemberg furnishes 2 regiments of

mounted field-artillery, divided into 23 batteries. The

changes made in the organization and composition of the

30

field-artillery, and going into effect on October 1st, 1889,

are treated upon in the supplementary article by Major-

General von Specht.

In the late war the German field-artillery decided

many of the pitched battles, not only by its superior

material, but by its great accuracy of aim, efficient

service, and masterly handling. Of this, the battle of

Gravelotte furnishes a vivid and convincing illustration.

The ninth German corps, which ushered in the battle,

occupied Verneville on the forenoon of the eighteenth

of August. This corps, consisting of twenty-three bat-

talions, with about 21,000 men, was opposed by at least

50,000 French, with 162 guns. The French troops

occupied strong positions, and were supported by Can-

robert's batteries posted at St. Privat. The Germans

deployed east of Verneville and opened the battle with

a heavy artillery fire. The first shells fell short, the

following, however, found their range in the midst of the

enemy's camp. The latter, visibly surprised, hurried to

the fortified positions and rifle-pits, all the heights being

lined with batteries in a short time. As, by this ma-

noeuvre, the distance became too great for the Germangunners, General von Puttkammer ordered ten batteries

to draw up closer to the enemy. The latter replied

furiously, the French riflemen at the same time inflicting

a heavy loss on the Prussian artillery. At one o'clock

two Hessian batteries of the advance-guard, stationed

south of Habonville, took part against Canrobert's guns,

which were posted south of St. Privat. After the arrival

of three additional foot-batteries, the Hessian artillery

moved towards a ridge east of Habonville, while eight

batteries of the Guards, 48 pieces strong, took position

north of Habonville. Repeatedly the French battalions

of Grennier and Cissey sallied forth against the Hessian

division commanded by Prince Louis of Hesse, and were

repulsed only with the greatest difficulty. The situation

of the Hessian troops, who suffered terribly and were

almost unable to replenish their ammunition, became

more and more critical. Their left wing, especially, was

exposed to a galling fire from some French mitrailleuses.

The four Hessian foot-batteries which were in action at

this period of the engagement sustained the loss of

several officers, and 5 chief gunners and 40 men were put

hors de combat. At this moment, the French infantry

rushed upon the Hessian artillery. The captain of one

of the batteries, though badly wounded, succeeded in

bringing two of his pieces to the border of the woods,

where they were saved only by the heroic efforts of some

Hessian troops which had just arrived. Four guns, how-

ever, were lost, two of which were subsequently taken to

Metz by the French. Although the chief danger to the

batteries was averted by the brilliant charge of the

fusilier battalion of the 85th regiment, which lost 12

officers and 400 men in the action, Lieutenant-Colonel

Darausky ordered the artillery, which by this time had

suffered increased losses, to withdraw to the rear of

La Cusse woods. The order was executed with the

utmost coolness. One of the batteries, while limbering

up, was riddled with case shot, killing the captain and

wounding many men, but it continued firing on the

enemy while it withdrew. The artillery lost, in about

three hours, 17 officers, 2 surgeons, 187 men, and 370

horses. Three batteries of the Hessian division did not

leave the scene of action, but stood their ground, the

French making no further sally in this direction.

While the action described was going on, a heavy

artillery fight was raging on the right wing of the first

army. At noon, General von Steinmetz ordered all the

guns to enter the duel with the seventh French corps.

Four batteries of the fourteenth division, under General

von Zastrow, drew up between the woods of Ogeon and

Gravelotte, and opened fire on the French positions at

Point du Jour. From two o'clock onward the artillery,

coming from the direction of Ars, fell into line of battle.

General von Steinmetz and his staff kept near these bat-

teries in the heaviest fire of the enemy, who poured a

hail of shell and mitrailleuse bullets upon the Prussian

guns, inflicting a heavy loss, especially on their left wing.

But the French also suffered heavily ; caissons were de-

molished and ammunition wagons were blown up. The

Germans soon received support from three batteries of

the third division, while four batteries of the fifteenth

division also drew nearer the scene of action by order of

General von Goeben. They took position between

Malmaison and Gravelotte and were followed by the

remainder of the corps artillery. The battle now took

such a grave turn that some higher commanders, among

them General von Hindersin, the inspecting General

of artillery, directed the operations personally. The

French commenced to lose ground. Some of their

mitrailleuses became so disabled that they had to be

removed to the rear. At the same time the enemy

by mistake fired upon its own hospital, which lay be-

tween Malmaison and Gravelotte, where several hundred

French and German soldiers, who had been wounded

at the battle of Vionville, met a horrible death by the

French fire.

In the storming of St. Hubert, which followed shortly

afterwards, the field-artillery and horse-artillery took a

praiseworthy part. The batteries of the eighth corps

advanced over the road of Jarny; five of them drew up

on a hill-top near Mogadore. The horse-battery of the

first cavalry division took the lead, joined on its right

wing by two foot-batteries. Three additional horse-

batteries rode through Gravelotte and took up favorable

positions south of the highway. Soon it became evident

that the concerted fire of the Germans silenced some of

the French guns, and prevented others from getting into

position. All efforts were now concentrated against the

enemy's position at St. Hubert. Though the advanced

31

German horse-battery fared badly from the fire of some

mitrailleuses, the artillery of the seventh corps pressed

through the ravine of Ars, and formed a junction with

the eighth corps. The effect of the combined German

fire now commenced to tell. French batteries were forced

to retreat and their fire gradually became fainter. The

German shells burst into the reserves standing back of

Point du Jour, which soon had to be given up by the de-

fending troops. St. Hubert was gradually reached by the

guns of the eighth corps. The well-defended place was

stormed by detachments of the 33rd, 60th, and 67th regi-

ments, and the Rhenish rifles, in face of a tremendous

fire and with a terrible loss.

While these events were happening, a success was

gained by the artillery on the left wing of the second

army which opposed St. Privat. General von Pape or-

dered the artillery of the first division of the Guards to

take position south of Habonville with its front toward

St. Privat. Supported by some artillery which had just

arrived, sixty guns were trained upon the French artillery,

which by this time had made a forward movement, com-

pelling the latter to fall back upon its former position.

After the arrival of the twenty-fourth division, a general

assault was made upon Ste. Marie, which contained many

massive buildings surrounded by high walls. Three bat-

teries of the twenty-fourth division took position north-

west of the Guards, while the bulk of the artillery

wheeled round west of the ravine leading to Auboue.

Three batteries of the twenty-third division deployed to

the left of the twenty-fourth division's firing line. By

this manoeuvre 180 guns formed one solid line firing

from the woods of La Ousse upon Canrobert's and

Cissey's batteries at Ste. Marie. The German fire was

so effective that the latter places soon were able to be

stormed by nine battalions of the Guards, of the forty-

seventh brigade and of the 108th regiment. During

this assault the Guards artillery moved to the southeast

of Ste. Marie, while shortly afterwards the Saxon bat-

teries advanced on the west side of Ste. Marie, and

formed a long line, with its front facing the east. Their

united fire was far superior to that of the opposing sixth

corps and told on the enemy in a destructive manner.

The right wing of the German artillery, however, suffered

greatly by the fire of the enemy holding the farmstead

of Champenois, and General von Manstein ordered an

attack to be made on the latter. To accomplish this, a

Hessian horse-battery took position to the south of the

farmstead, and was shortly afterwards supported by some

guns of the third and ninth army corps. The Guards

also closing up with the Hessian battery, a fire of fifty-

nine guns was directed against Champenois, which was

in a short time in flames. The German batteries lost

heavily as they advanced, and the infantry was at this

juncture ordered into action. The first battalion of the

2nd regiment rushed forward, while a Brandenburg

battery pressed on in the tirailleur fire of the enemy.

With hurrahs the infantry attacked the burning farm-

stead and routed the enemy, who offered a stubborn

resistance. By this brilliant charge the artillery line

was made secure. Seventy-eight guns covered with

their fire the territory stretching from the Genivaux

woods to the Bois de la Cusse, and silenced the enemy's

fire on this part of the battle line. The energetic co-

operation of the artillery at the capture of St. Privat has

been mentioned under the chapter on "The Storming of

the Prussian Guards upon St. Privat."

The surrounding and capture of the army of CMlons,

which was achieved by the German third army, in con-

nection with the army of the Meuse, at Sedan on Sep-

tember 1st, 1870, was chiefly due to the efficient service

of the German field-artillery. Lebrun's batteries, num-

bering some 160 guns and mitrailleuses, had taken posi-

tion on the heights of La Moncelles rising to the north

of Bazeilles. Their right wing directed a heavy fire on

the Bavarian troops, which advanced under great diffi-

culty (see under Infantry "The Bavarians at Bazeilles").

Whilst a hot fight was raging, a Saxon battery arrived

and took position to the northeast of Moncelles. The

Bavarian batteries, thus supported, engaged a vastly

superior force of French artillery. Somewhat later,

Prince George of Saxony ordered the entire artillery

of the twelfth corps to advance beyond Douzy. By this

manoeuvre twelve batteries were brought into action

east of Moncelles, thus securing a good foothold to the

Bavarian infantry which took Bazeilles after a stubborn

resistance. At noon the last two batteries of the twelfth

corps passed through Moncelles and drove back some

French guns posted before Balan. It happened about

this time that some shells had burst close to where

the Emperor Napoleon and his staff had taken their

positions, near Balan. Seeing a brigade suffering ter-

ribly from the fire of the Germans, Napoleon asked

:

"From what place do these shells come?" An artillery

officer replied that they came from a battery posted at a

distance of 4,900 metres. The Emperor, unwilling to

believe in so terrible an effect at that distance, imme-

diately ordered a strong fire to be directed against the

batteries at Wadelincourt. The shots, however, fell

short at a distance of 1,500 metres, dropping in the river

Meuse.

General von Wimpffen, after having taken the chief

command of the French army, in place of the wounded

General McMahon, endeavored in vain to break through

the German lines, first to the east and afterwards to the

north at Givonne. At nine o'clock in the morning,

three batteries of the first division of the Guards took

up position at the woods of Villers-Cernay and were

joined by a fourth deploying at the Chevalier woods.

These batteries were augmented by some artillery of the

first corps, which fired with great havoc at a distance of

32

4,000 paces upon the French infantry, cavalry, and

artillery stationed in the woods of Givonne. The Ger-

man firing line was also regnforced by four foot-batteries

of the second division and some horse-artillery of the

first corps, which took position to the north of the

Chevalier woods. Ninety guns threw their shells upon

the batteries, earthworks, and troops of the enemy,

while on the left twelve Bavarian and ninety Saxon

guns came into action. By noon all passages over

the Givonne river were in the hands of the Germans,

who prevented Wimpffen's escape here as well as at

Mezieres. To the southwest, at Bazeilles, the German

guns also covered by their fire the fortress of Sedan.

Two batteries were posted near the railroad south' of

Vilette; one was trained upon Torcy, five lined the

heights of Frenois, while two commanded the territory

south of Wadelincourt.

At this juncture it fell to the lot of the German

artillery to cut off the enemy's retreat towards the north

at St. Menges, Fleigneux, and Illy. This task was

assigned to the fifth and eleventh corps, which crossed

the river Meuse at Donchery and marched towards

Menges by order of the Crown Prince. Three batteries

of the fifth corps took position on the slope to the north-

west of the Hattois woods, where they engaged a superior

force of French artillery posted on the slope, stretching

from Illy towards Floing. After several guns had been

disabled, General von Gersdorf ordered the entire corps

artillery into action. In a short time eighty-three guns

crowned the long plateau opposite the Hattois woods.

One of the German batteries suffered such a loss that a

reserve of men and horses had to be brought up. But

soon the German artillery received support from the fire

of two horse-batteries stationed on the left bank of the

river Meuse. The artillery of the fifth corps and of the

tenth division also took part in the battle, deploying on

the heights between Illy and Fleigneux, and forming a

junction with the left wing of the eleventh corps. One

hundred and thirty-two guns crowned the heights

stretching from Illy to the Ardennes woods. The noise

of this great outstretched line of artillery rumbled like

that of a heavy thunderstorm, sending forth flash upon

flash, while the German shells prevented all means of

escape to the enemy. Meantime the havoc was appalling,

the enemy's artillery being almost annihilated. The

only chance of escape for the French army was towards

Mezieres, but this was barred by the Wurtemberg

division, which covered the rear of the third army at

Mezieres.

The iron circle around the French army was thus closed

successfully, and became tighter as the day passed. Onthe heights to the right of Moncelles-Balan, the artillery

of the eighth division took up position and trained its

guns on the French massed in front of Fonde-de-Givonne.

Six Bavarian batteries here united their fire with the

Prussians against the heights of Balan. The fire of the

fifth corps was directed against Calvary hill, which lay

towards Fleigneux and was held by Ducrot with a strong

force of artillery. The French guns were, in consequence,

dismounted and deprived of their men and horses, am-

munition wagons exploded, and even the reserve batteries

were compelled to retreat. Of the artillery of the

Guards, ten batteries deployed on the left bank of the

Givonne, joined by five additional batteries on the left

wing, also by seven Saxon and two Bavarian batteries,

so that from that direction 144 German guns hurled

their shell into the Garenne woods, which was de-

fended by 120 guns of the first French corps. The

artillery of the second Bavarian corps and that of the

fourth corps joined in this operation against the Garenne

woods. From all sides death and destruction faced the

enemy, which was now being pressed together closer

and closer, with no chance of escape. To make the

situation more intolerable for the French, some of the

German artillery crossed the Givonne river and moved

upon the heights to the west of the valley. Sixty guns

formed here the right wing of the Prussian and Bavarian

artillery line. These guns covered with their fire every

section of the Garenne woods so effectually that not the

smallest patch of the wooded plateau could escape the

effect of the German shells. The French, retreating at

Daigny, were horrified at seeing themselves confronted

by the iron jaws of the guns posted at Floing, and those

fleeing from Illy in the direction of Sedan were received

by a hail of shot fired from Wadelincourt. While the

destruction of five divisions and two brigades was being

effected on the plateau of Illy and in the Garenne

woods, the fight at Balan, where General von Wimpffen

made his last effort to break through the German lines,

took once more a critical turn. Here, too, the artillery

had to speak the last and deciding word. The Bavarians

holding the town of Bazeilles, situated to the southeast of

Balan, were compelled to retreat in the face of superior

French forces, which sallied forth and pressed the Ba-

varians so hard that for a time only the outskirts of

Bazeilles could be held by the Bavarian Jager. At this

critical moment three Bavarian batteries arrived and

took up position near Balan. They were soon supported

by five other batteries, which deployed in the valley,

and also by thirty-six guns of the fourth corps, which

poured a hail of shells into Balan from the heights of

Ailieourt, to the west of the river Meuse. General von

Wimpffen, seeing his troops thus reduced by the mur-

derous fire of nineteen batteries, ordered a general

retreat, though he and his staff remained in the thickest

of the German fire at Balan.

Every French soldier now thronged into the fortified

town of Sedan. To effect a speedier surrender of the

fortress, King William ordered the Wurtemberg artillery

to draw nearer and direct its fire upon Sedan. The

33

shells fell on the masses sheltering themselves in the

crowded streets, throwing them into dire confusion. On

the right bank of the Meuse, by order of the Crown

Prince of Saxony, all the artillery of the Guards and of

the twelfth corps moved close up to the fortress. The

fate of the French army was now sealed, its uncon-

ditional surrender, including the French Emperor him-

self, to the victorious Germans became a certainty. In

the battle 683 German guns had opposed 419 French

guns and mitrailleuses, and 139 siege-guns, all of which

fell into the hands of the victors.

The garrison-artillery is employed in engagements of

a less varying character, such as occur in offensive and

defensive operations of fortified towns or of the sea-coast,

where the positions, both of points of attack and the

weapons used, are subject to little material change.

The garrison-artillery is classified, according to its em-

ployment, into siege-artillery, garrison-artillery proper,

and artillery for coast-defence. Siege and garrison-

artillery are almost identical in material and employ-

ment, while artillery for coast-defence may also rightly

be considered a branch of the garrison-artillery. Siege

and garrison -artillery are served by troops similar to the

infantry, which are called foot-artillery in the German

army. The foot-artillery is provided with ordnance of

from 4.72 to 5.90 in. calibre, with howitzers of 5.90 in.

calibre, with mortars of 8.26 in. calibre, with siege-guns

of 3.64, 4.72, and 8.26 in. calibre, with mortars of 5.90

in. calibre, with turret-howitzers of 8.26 in. calibre, and,

in addition, revolving and quick-firing guns. The foot-

artillery soldier carries a short rifle for personal protection.

Our illustrations represent the Rhenish foot-artillery.

There are seventeen foot-artillery regiments, of two bat-

talions, each of four companies, while the 2nd regiment

and the 2nd Bavarian regiment have three companies.

The second battalion of the 12th regiment has five com-

panies. The 13th (Royal Wtlrtemberg) was transferred

to the Prussian organization in 1893. The foot-artillery

is uniformed similar to the infantry, and is character-

istically distinguished by white shoulder-straps. White

horse-hair plumes are worn on parade only by the foot-

artillery of the Guards. The uniform of the Saxon con-

tingent is of the same color as that of the Saxon

field-artillery. The Bavarian uniform differs from the

Prussian in the mountings on the helmet, which has a

spike in place of the ball ; it has black instead of dark-

blue facings, and dark-blue trousers.

The bombardment of Strasburg, which resulted in its

surrender, was a splendid example of the efficiency of

the German siege-artillery. Prior to the late war with

France, Strasburg had been considered a fortress of the

first rank, and was France's sally-port against southern

Germany. The town was fortified on Vauban's system.

It was provided with deep moats, but not with advanced

works which could make the city secure in case of a

bombardment. The area in the vicinity of the town was

more accessible on the north and west than on the south,

where a great sheet of water could be created by

artificial damming. Perilous to the fortress itself were

the suburbs, adjacent to the glacis, and favoring an

assault in close quarters. The defence of this important

frontier-fortress, badly neglected by the French govern-

ment in time of peace, devolved upon General Uhrich,

an energetic, yet cautious, soldier. The garrison num-

bered about 20,000 men, including 450 officers. Their

usefulness in defending the town was questioned, as a

sufficiently strong corps of engineers was lacking. This

explains how the Baden contingent, detailed to observe

Strasburg and consisting of but one division, twelve

squadrons, and nine batteries, advanced almost un-

checked upon those points which facilitated a successful

assault upon the plains known as Robertsau, Schiltig-

heim, and Konigshofen. The armament of the fortress

was ample. Twelve hundred mortars and guns of the

heaviest calibre and of the latest construction were in

position, though these were no match for the German

artillery. On August 13th, 1870, a besieging army

arrived, consisting of 46 battalions, 24 squadrons, and

18 field -batteries. They were soon followed by a siege-

train of 200 field-pieces and 88 mortars, with 30 com-

panies of foot-artillery, 1 siege-train of engineers, and

10 companies of sappers and miners,—40,000 men in all.

On August 15th the commander of the besieging army,

General von Werder, arrived at Mundolsheim, near

Strasburg. He was attended by the chief of his general

staff, Lieutenant-Colonel von Leszczynski. The next

day the enemy made the first important sortie .towards

the south against Illkirch, losing three guns in this

enterprise. On August 18th, the siege-train was put in

position, after General von Werder had determined to

force the town to surrender by bombarding it. The

heavy siege-guns, posted near Kehl, on the right bank of

the Rhine, and the field-guns on the left bank of the

river now engaged the fortress ; while these operations

were going on, the erection of thirteen batteries for the

bombardment of the northwestern front of the city was

begun. On the evening of the twenty-fourth, the Germans

were able to open fire upon the town, a part of which was

soon in flames. At this crisis, the Bishop of Strasburg

craved quarter for the citizens, but was unsuccessful in

his mission, inasmuch as the Governor was not yet ready

for terms of surrender. The fire was continued through

the night of the twenty-fifth, ending at two o'clock,

when it was at its hottest. The effect was terrific. The

depot, the new church, and the valuable library had been

destroyed ; the roof of the Cathedral had also caught

fire. But, in spite of these disasters, General Uhrich

refused to surrender. After this, the fire of the siege-

guns was directed upon the fortifications proper, and the

more deliberate methods of a regular siege commenced,

34

according to the plans of Captain Wagner of the corps

of engineers. The assault was at this time directed

against the northwest corner of the fortress.

During the night of August 29th-30th, the first par-

allel was opened, and the number of siege-batteries was

increased by eleven others. Soon the German artillery

proved its superior qualities, as regards both its material

and its advantageous employment. On the night of the

thirty-first of August, the second parallel was opened.

At dawn a strong sortie made by the garrison failed, the

Germans losing 7 officers and 149 men. On the ninth of

September, the second parallel, with all its rearward

connections, was completed. The Germans had now

ninety-six mounted field-pieces and thirty-eight mortars

in full fire, doing apparently effective work. The guns

of lunette No. 44 were soon silenced, the large Finkmatt

barracks was destroyed by fire, and the Steinthor gate

was so much injured that it had to be buttressed with

sand bags. The part of the town subjected to the

German fire was now in ruins. The garrison thereupon

withdrew their guns behind the parapet, and fired only

their mortars. During the night of the llth-12th, the

opening of the third parallel was begun at the foot of

the glacis between lunettes Nos. 53 and 55. By the

fourteenth of the month this work was finished and more

batteries were put in position, so that the crest of the

glacis could now be reached and occupied by infantry.

The assault, henceforth, was exclusively directed against

bastion No. 11, beyond lunettes 52 and 53, leaving the

work of reducing the flank defences on the east to the

siege-artillery. After the fourteenth, a breaching shot fire

was opened against the escarpment of lunette 53. The

indirect breach shot against the hidden walls stood the

first severe test. The taking of lunettes 52 and 53

marked a decided feature in the progress of the attack.

Both lunettes were now equipped by the Germans with

batteries of mortars and guns, in the hope of silencing

the fire from the redoubts and counter-guards of the

attack in front, against which dismounted guns and

counter-batteries were also directed. At the same time

a breach shot was opened against the eastern flank of

bastion No. 11 and the western side of bastion No. 12.

The walls of bastion No. 11 fell in on the twenty-fourth

of the month, after a shelling of 500 rounds. The de-

struction of the earthworks at the angle which remained

standing was postponed till the storming of the place.

The assault upon the inner wall and the fortress proper

was now imminent, as there was but a short distance to

the breach of bastion No. 11, which intervened between

the besieging army and the town.

On the twenty-seventh of September, at five in the

afternoon, a white flag was seen flying from the tower of

the Cathedral. By the capitulation, which was signed

the same night at Konigshofen, 1,200 guns, 200,000

small arms, and 2,000,000 francs in the bank passed

into the hands of the victors. The garrison also became

prisoners of war. The walls lying in the line of attack

were so battered that they were now useless for defence.

Under the wreck of the front face of the fortification lay

scattered guns and gun-carriages. The garrison had

lost 2,500 men, among whom were 661 dead. The loss

of the besiegers was 39 officers and 894 men dead and

wounded.

The most memorable feat, however, achieved by the

German artillery, was the successful investment and

bombardment of Paris, the largest fortress of the

world. All efforts on the part of the Paris garrison to

break through the lines of the besieging Germans failed.

Sorties took place at Chatillon on September 19th, at

Chevilly on September 30th, at Bagneux on October

13th, at Malmaison on October 21st, at Le Bourget on

October 30th, at Villiers on November 30th and De-

cember 2nd, and at Le Bourget again on December 21st.

A bombardment of Paris was now agreed upon by the

Germans, all necessary material for the batteries was

brought up during the month of December and put in

readiness by the twenty-sixth of the month. On the fol-

lowing day seventy-six guns opened fire on Mount Avron

and the neighboring forts. These replied promptly and

rapidly, the former with seventy-four guns. But soon it

became apparent that Mount Avron, in spite of the nu-

merically greater strength of the French artillery, could

not for any length of time withstand the concentrated fire

of the German guns. At noon on the twenty-seventh the

firing became faint; towards evening, and during the

night following, only irregular shots were heard, whilst

the Germans kept up a steady fire. On the twenty-eighth

Mount Avron was almost silenced, the forts only replying

to the German fire. The moral effect of the bombardment,

by which the French suffered only a nominal loss of 160

dead and wounded, was so great that Mount Avron, to-

gether with the other forts, was evacuated on the night of

the twenty-eighth. The artillery attack on the southern

forts, Issy, Vanves, and Mount Rouge, was next begun.

On January 4th, 98 guns were ready to open fire upon

350 heavy French siege-guns, the efficiency of which

was much impeded by the great distance. Notwith-

standing the greater numerical strength of the French

guns, the German artillery had the advantage of posi-

tion, of a splendid observation, and of superior material.

On the morning of January 5th, the German batteries

stationed on the plateau of Chatillon opened fire, fol-

lowed by the remainder of the batteries posted in the

neighborhood. The French replied at once and directed

a terrible counter-fire, especially against the batteries at

Chatillon, inflicting heavy losses. At noon, however, the

situation gradually improved, for the greater accuracy of

the German aim began to tell. Fort Issy was silenced

by two o'clock, the fire of Vanves lost force gradually,

while only Mount Rouge replied with vigor. On the right,

35

the Germans succeeded in silencing the French artillery

situated at Les Hautes-Bruyeres. The German battery

No. 1, isolated in the park of St. Cloud, suffered most in

this engagement, being shelled in front from the city's

parapet and on the left flank by the fire from Mount

Valerien. After the forts had been reduced, the Ger-

man fire was chiefly directed against the outer batteries

and the city ramparts ; this necessitated, however, an

advance of the German artillery. The bombardment of

the city proper was ushered in by from forty to fifty

rounds of exploding shells fired against the nearest parts

of the city. The last sortie, which was made by the in-

vested French army from Mount Valerien, utterly failed.

The siege-guns, no longer needed on the northern side

of Paris after the evacuation of Mount Avron, became now

available on the southern investing line. From forty to

fifty guns, which had been used against the recently

surrendered town of Mezieres, were also brought up and

utilized against the forts of St. Denis. Fire was also

at once opened upon the latter, and was likewise directed

against the old castle of Villetaneuse, and against Auber-

villers and other exposed parts of the northern side of

Paris. The siege-park was established at Villiers-le-

Bel. It required 700 farmers' wagons to bring up the

necessary material. On January 21st, at nine in the

morning, all the batteries opened fire upon the forts,

which replied only for a short time. After a successful

attack on Villetaneuse castle, the entire French artillery

was silenced by the Germans in a few days, the latter

showing their superiority over the enemy in every respect.

A more energetic bombardment of Paris which had been

aoreed upon at this juncture by the Germans, and which

was to be ushered in by the capture of St. Denis, did not

take place. By order of the commander-in-chief of the

German forces, all hostilities were suspended on the night

of the twenty-seventh of January. The defences of the

enemy had suffered greatly. The city walls were de-

stroyed, the casemates demolished, the garrison buildings

ruined and burned,— a great feat accomplished by the

German artillery. The loss of the Germans in the as-

sault included 30 officers, and 350 dead and wounded,

while the French loss amounted to about 800 men. The

loss of the city's population was given at 97 dead and 278

wounded. On the twenty-third, Jules Favre had made his

appearance at Versailles for the purpose of negotiating

the capitulation of Paris. With the stroke of the mid-

night hour on the twenty-seventh, the fire of the German

batteries was suspended. On the following day a gen-

eral armistice commenced, after Paris had surrendered

with 602 field-guns, 177,000 rifles, 1,200 ammunition

wagons, and 1,362 siege-guns. The garrison, which

consisted of 7,456 officers and 241,686 men, were de-

clared prisoners of war. The troops of the line were to

lay down their arms, only 12,000 men and the National

Guard were to retain them for the preservation of order.

THE GERMAN ENGINEERS

All technical military work to be performed by the

troops in the field falls to the lot of the pioneers. Each

battalion of pioneers includes in its equipment, sappers,

miners, and a pontoon train. The engineer troops are

charged with the building and maintenance of fortified

places, with the erection of field redoubts, with the con-

struction of bridges and railroads, with the repair of

railway and telegraph lines destroyed by the enemy, and

with the demolition of others, when this becomes a

necessity. These troops are also engaged in time of war

in all kinds of siege-work, such as digging trenches, the

construction of batteries, and the laying down of mines.

Of the twenty-three battalions of pioneers, Prussia has

nineteen, Bavaria two, Saxony one, and Wiirtemberg

one. To the engineer troops also belongs the Prussian

railway brigade of three regiments, one company of which

is furnished by Saxony and one by Wtirtemberg. Be-

sides these, there are a Bavarian railway battalion, and a

Prussian and a Bavarian detachment of balloon troops.

The uniform of the pioneers is similar to that of the field-

artillery, characteristically distinguished, however, by

the white buttons and white mountings attached to the

helmet, which has a spike instead of a ball on top, and

by black leather belts and straps. The railway troops

are clothed similarly to the pioneers of the Guards, the

shoulder-straps showing an "E" and the number of the

regiment in Roman letters. The balloon troops wear

the same uniform as the railroad troops do, with an "L"

on the shoulder-straps. Their head-dress is the shako of

the Guards rifles. The Bavarian pioneers are distin-

guished both by the form of the mountings upon the

helmet and by their dark-blue trousers. The Saxon pio-

neers are clothed like the Saxon field-artillery, which wear

a green uniform with red facings, distinguished, however,

by white buttons, and by white mountings on the helmet.

The successful investment of Paris testifies to the

efficiency of the German engineer corps. The German

investing line extended for thirty-four miles; the tele-

graph lines connecting the headquarters of the three

armies had a length of nearly sixty miles. The army

which surrounded Paris numbered, on October 21st, 1870,

202,030 foot-soldiers, 33,734 horses, and 898 cannon.

As soon as the German troops had taken up their posi-

tion, they constructed a double tier of fortification

works, which was declared by General Trochu, the de-

fender of Paris, to be a masterpiece of military engineer-

ing. The villages, castles, and public parks, situate

within reach of the guns of the Paris forts, were put in a

condition that they could be defended by infantry troops.

All the streets were provided with abattis by felling

trees and placing them in a line with their branches

pointed against the enemy. Redoubt after redoubt were

built and equipped both with heavy and with light

batteries. On the north side of Paris the Mor<5e creek

36

was dammed, and the mass of the stream thus gained was

further increased by conducting the water of the Orqu

canal into the creek. By this operation the land lying

between Sevran and Dugny was inundated, so that the

roadbed of the highway leading towards Le Bourget was

visible only at Pont Iblon, the water at that place barring

the entrance to a defile. At the outlet, on the other side

of Le Bourget, some earthworks were thrown up. The

banks of the Mulette creek, flowing through Le Bourget,

were lined with fortifications, which were occupied by

the infantry. South of Paris, the Bavarians prepared

three investing lines. The batteries posted on the

south side of Paris were 2,500 paces off from the city's

fortifications, while those on the north side were stationed

at a distance of 4,000 paces. All the positions were

equipped with telegraphic communication. Outposts,

provided with telescopes, were placed at advantageous

places ; a light-signal service was likewise established.

A trestle-bridge was constructed over the river Marne,

six pontoon bridges were constructed over the river Seine,

while the service of three ferries was also organized.

The investment of the fortress of Strasburg also fully

demonstrates that the German engineer corps was equal

to the task falling to its lot in the late war. On Sep-

tember 9th, the work of the second parallel, somewhat

hindered by rainy weather, was completed. Ninety-six

rifled cannon and thirty-eight mortars were ready for

action. Without delay, the preliminary work of the

third parallel was then begun. In order to lower the

water of the inundation and the water in the ditches,

the Rhine-Rhone canal near Erstein and the "crooked"

Rhine, together with the upper waters of the 111 and

the Schwarz, were dammed and led off. In the second

parallel, trenches were dug for the men and suitable

wooden quarters were erected for the officers. The zig-

zags leading to the third parallel were constructed and

occupied on the night of the tenth of September, the

parallel proper was occupied between the twelfth and

fourteenth of September, without any loss. During the

night of the ninth, Captain Ledebur had discovered a

mined gallery near lunette No. 53, which had been de-

serted by the enemy. The captain was let down by

ropes into the trenches, and, with the aid of some sappers,

removed the charges of powder. Communication from

this gallery to the third parallel was effected by driving

a shaft through the stone work. A secondary parallel,

212 paces long and four and one-half feet wide, was

dug, beginning at the centre of the third parallel and

reaching to the glacis of lunette No. 53. The crown-

ing of the covered way of this lunette was begun by

means of double traverse-saps, and finished in four days.

During the night of the nineteenth, two mines were

fired, which blew up part of the counterscarp opposite

lunette No. 53 and laid it level with the water line. Onthe twentieth of the month, the Germans began laying an

earth and fascine dam across the moat, during which opera-

tion the captain of the engineers was killed. A party

sent across in boats closed the breach by throwing down

some earth and stone work. The breach was scaled and

occupied by a company of the 34th regiment. The

pioneers closed the gorge and dug underground passages

in the direction of the counterscarp. On the same day

a battery was constructed immediately in front of the

glacis of lunette No. 52. A battery of mortars moved

upon the crest of the glacis on the next day. At this

juncture it was decided to construct a bridge of barrels,

of which a large number was on hand. This work was

begun at dusk, under no better protection than a screen

of boards to prevent observation, and it was finished

on the same night by Pomeranian pioneers. Lunette

No. 52 was found deserted by the enenrjt and occupied

by some troops of the 34th regiment, and by pioneers

and artillerymen. The seven guns in the lunette were

spiked and the gorge was closed. The bridge of casks

was now replaced by a dam. Based upon a report by

Captain Ledebur, who made a reconnoitring tour, swim-

ming through the sheet of water back of the lunettes, it

was decided to direct operations against the crest of

the glacis in front of lunette No. 51. From the

twenty-second to the twenty-fifth of September the Ger-

mans advanced by means of "flying saps" and "sap

rollers" against lunette No. 51, and succeeded in gain-

ing the glacis, in which operation the gallant Captain

Ledebur was killed. The lunettes Nos. 52 and 53 were

now equipped with batteries and mortars, and new bat-

teries were constructed in front of lunette No. 54. The

effect of their fire on the fortress has been described

minutely under the section on " The German Artillery."

In the late war with France, the engineer troops dis-

played great proficiency in constructing railroads, which

is the first and most important object of the general

inspection of the lines of base. At the period of the

third army's advance over the Vosges, several railroad

lines were built in the northern part of Alsace by the

first and second division of railway troops. After the

tunnel at Zabern was cleared of all obstructions, the rail-

road track between Bruchsal and Germersheim, and

from there to Nancy, was completed by the eighteenth of

August. A new line of base was likewise established,

beginning at Colomby and passing through Void to Bar

le Due, rounding the fortress of Toul, which barred com-

munication. This new line was later on extended to

Nogent lArtaud. In order to finish the road, two via-

ducts 120 feet long had to be built near Vitry. As a

passage could not be effected through the tunnel at

Nanteuil, thus preventing a continuous route, it was

found necessary to build a new road by going around

the tunnel. This was done to prevent the reloading of

the transports for the army of the Meuse at Chateau-

Thierry and of the third army at Nanteuil, from which

places all material had to be carried on wagons. This

work was finished by the twenty-third of November. OnAugust 25th the railroad between Nancy and Are, which

was of importance in establishing communication between

the second and third armies, was ready for operations.

In order to avoid the fortress of Metz, the general inspec-

tion of lines of base caused the building of a new rail-

road from Remilly to Pont-a-Musson. The first and

37

second divisions of railway troops completed the road,

which was sixteen miles long, in forty days. A viaduct

50 feet long and 12 feet high had to be built over the

ravine near Remilly; another one, 500 feet long and 23

feet high, was built over a valley. Two trestles had also

to be erected, one 50 feet and the other 280 feet long.

A forest three miles wide and dense with beech wood

and heavy underbrush had to be cleared. To procure

better railroad facilities for the army of the Meuse, a

railroad from Ohalous, through Reims and Soissons, to

Mitry, near Paris, and another line from Reims, through

Laon and La Fere, to Gonesse, near Paris, were built.

The German railway troops also finished the line from

Blesmes to Chaumont and extended it further southwest

to Chatillon. From the latter place the road branched

off in a northwesterly direction to Troyes and Paris, and

southwest to Joigny and Monterau. Particular attention

was also paid to the construction of a southern road from

Chatillon, via Montargis on the Loing, to Orleans. The

line Blesmes-Chaumont-Chatillon was opened on Decem-

ber 2nd, the section from Chaumont to Troyes on Decem-

ber 25th, while the rest of the line was finished by the

middle of January. The line Reims-Soissons-Mitry was

ready for operation on November 21st; the line from

Reims to Gonesse, touching Laon and La Fere, at the

end of December. All these railroad connections had the

one great drawback, that not more than sixteen trains

could be despatched daily because the direct line was

still occupied by the French and the trains were com-

pelled to run over the section from Frouard to Blesmes.

This inconvenience, which delayed the siege and bom-

bardment of Paris for three months, was not removed

until all the northern French fortresses had fallen into

the hands of the Germans.

An interesting feature of the engineer corps is the

balloon troops. In a recent issue of the "Illustrated

Zeitung," of Berlin, that journal comments upon these

troops and their doings as follows :

"Very seldom the public at large hears of the manoeu-

vres of these troops, although they are constantly en-

gaged in working and experimenting along their lines in

the Tempelhof drilling-grounds. This much may be

asserted, that in the event of war the achievements of the

German balloon troops will not be outrivalled by those

of other nations. A uniform system of balloon-filling and

manoeuvring has been effected throughout the armies of

the Triple Alliance. The system is that known as the

' Majert-Richter,' while the other European armies use

the 'Young' system. The balloon is filled with hydro-

gen gas, which is prepared by the troops of the balloon

detachment in a small factory situated on their own

grounds. In time of war, and during the manoeuvres,

the necessary gas has to be transported to the place on

wagons. This is done by means of steel cylinders,

similar to those by which fluid carbonic acid is trans-

ported. The steel cylinders are about 8 feet long, with

a diameter of 5.1 in. and a strength of the outer bands of

0.12 in. The gas is condensed from 100 to 150 atmos-

pheres. The wagons carrying the steel cylinders sur-

round the balloon in a circle while the contents of one

cylinder after the other is transferred to the balloon,

which is able to make an ascent in about one hour's time.

At the manoeuvres and in war time only captive bal-

loons are used, while at fortified places and at camps

enclosed by the enemy the unfettered balloon is to be

employed. During fair weather the captive balloon may

rise to a height of 1,800 feet, thus allowing a splendid

observation. By means of a good telescope the uniforms

of an advancing enemy can be distinguished from the

balloon at a distance of nine miles. The reports from

the captive balloon are transmitted to headquarters on

the ground by a telephone, the wires of which are in-

closed in the guy-rope. The captive balloon can rise by

the aid of a single wire-rope, which ought to be strong,

but not very thick. The manipulation of the rope re-

quires, however, a wagon especially constructed and

provided with a windlass, which brings the balloon back

at a uniform rate by winding the rope on a drum. If

the balloon rises only to the height of from 300 to 450

feet, the wagon with the windlass is not needed, as the

balloon is then held by soldiers with four ropes. Bythe aid of these ropes the balloon may be moved in any

direction, the troops keeping pace with the movement of

the balloon. These movements are important in time

of war, as the balloon can be reached by infantry fire

at a height of 6,000 feet, and by artillery fire at a

height of about three miles. In order to keep the

balloon out of range of fire, its position has to be

constantly changed. Should the balloon be hit by a

bullet it descends slowly, unless the rent made in it is

large.

"Experiments of a decidedly novel character have

recently been made with a balloon which differs in form

from all balloons hitherto used. The new model is a

large balloon, cylindric in form, at the end of which two

small balloons are attached and suspended in a horizontal

position. Connected with the main balloon by several

ropes, hangs the gondola, which can be shifted to the

opposite side by a simple contrivance. The swinging

motion of the balloon and the gondola, common to bal-

loons of the older type, is avoided by the peculiar con-

struction of this novel invention. The shifting of the

two small balloons, which are manipulated from the

basket by means of ropes, gets rid of all former incon-

venience. Both observation and survey were made diffi-

cult, nay, often impossible, by the balloons of the older

construction, which changed their position continually.

The balloon of the new pattern is comparatively steady,

even during high winds. When experimented with, the

new model rose and was lowered many times, enabling

every officer present to test his instruments while seated

in the basket. For this purpose the ring on the top of

the gondola was attached to the wagon of the balloon

troops by a rope. This rope, about 3,000 feet long, was

manipulated by the aid of a roller-drum placed in the

wagon. In order to lower the balloon, a pulley was

attached to the rope. From the pulley about thirty

smaller ropes were suspended, each being held by a

soldier. The men marched with the pulley towards the

captive balloon, lowering it by this mode of procedure.

When the balloon was thus brought to the ground and a

change of occupants was made, the soldiers ran back and

the balloon rose again."

38

THE GERMAN MILITARY TRAIN

Eveky army needs, in time of war, a large amount of

powder and shot, of provisions for men and horses, and

of other equipments, which have necessarily to be trans-

ported on wagons. This task falls to the lot of the mili-

tary train, a branch of the army's service which has but

recently received a better and more ample organization.

Every German army corps has, in time of peace, one train

battalion of three companies, while in the Bavarian bat-

talions the third company belongs to the sanitary service.

The troops of the military train wear a black shako, madeof leather, and a blue tunic. The shoulder-straps, which

are of a light-blue color, show the number of the bat-

talion. For the personal protection of the train-soldier,

he is equipped with sabre and carbine. The organiza-

tion of the military train, when mobilized, comprises the

staff of the battalion, three sanitary detachments, one

depot of remounts, and one column consisting of the

field-bakeries. When the battalion goes into action

there are added a pontoon train, a detachment of field-

telegraph troops, and twelve field-hospitals attached to

the sanitary service. These organizations are further

augmented by the commissariat, the war-chest, the pro-

vision bureaus, and the field post offices. The provision

trains consist of thirty-six provision wagons, one reserve

wagon, and one portable forge. The provision wagonsare laden with bread, crackers, canned goods, and

victuals of every description. These moving trains

supply the troops with the necessary provisions, while at

the same time they replenish their stock of goods from

the depots situated on the lines of base. The wagontrains comprise eighty-two vehicles and serve especially

for the transport of oats, which is not carried by the pro-

vision columns. The field-bakery columns number twenty

portable bakeries with apersonnel of two hundred bakers

and other professionals and train -soldiers. At the mo-

bilization of the army, the trains of the army corps are

divided into two echelons. One, called the small baggage,

follows the troops at a distance of seven to ten miles. It

carries everything necessary for the troops during, or

immediately after, a battle, while the heavy baggage

follows at a greater distance and carries all supplies

required for the sustenance of the army during its opera-

tions in the field.

The German army has twenty-one train battalions, of

which seventeen are furnished by Prussia, namely, six-

teen battalions of the line and one battalion of the

Guards. The battalion of the Guards is distinguished

from those of the line by its white braiding on the tunic

and the star of the Guards, instead of the eagle, affixed to

the shako. The troops of this battalion wear white

horse-hair plumes on parade, while the battalions of the

line wear black plumes. The officers are equipped with

helmets. Bavaria furnishes two battalions, both of

which are equipped with helmets. Wtirtemberg has

one battalion, uniformed similarly to the Prussian bat-

talions of the line. The battalion of the Saxon contin-

gent wears a tunic of a light-blue color, with black

facings and red cuffs, though with a shako of a different

form.

As the maintenance of the army while in an enemy's

country depends almost entirely on the military train,

the responsibility which fell to this branch of the army's

service during the late war can hardly be fully real-

ized. All communication with the German army in

France was effected over the lines of base. The proper

administration of the parts of the enemy's country which

were held by the troops formed the solid basis of the

inspection departments of the lines of base. At the

head of this entire organization was the quartermaster-

general of the army, Lieutenant-General von Podbielski.

It was a gigantic task which had to be shouldered by this

official of the Royal headquarters during the late war..

Besides a faithful supervision of the lines of base, he had

likewise to provide for the speedy transportation of the

reserve troops, for the proper sustenance of the army,

for the safe conveyance of the hospital-trains, and for the

prompt communication through the agency of the post

and telegraph service. Von Podbielski, however, proved

equal to the task, overcoming all obstacles by his great

preciseness, vigilance, and foresight. At the beginning

of the war the organization of the field-post, of the field-

telegraph, and of the field-railway displayed great pro-

ficiency. On July 31st, 1870, 170,000 maps, showing the

different sections of France, were distributed to the offi-

cers of the army by the general staff at Berlin and the

telegraph bureau at Munich. The provisioning of the

troops massed near the Rhine was beset by manyobstacles, which, however, were promptly overcome bythe efficiency of the commissary-general of the army,

Lieutenant-General von Stosch. In the corps districts a

supply of victuals, oats, and hay sufficient for six weeks

was secured. During the first days of the campaign the

troops supplied themselves with provisions, while later

on they drew their rations from the depots established at

the different Rhenish towns, which had been provided

with provisions for six weeks. Each army corps was

supplied with four hundred wagons; the general inspec-

tion of the lines of base had three thousand wagons at

its disposal.

Each of the great German armies had a general de-

partment which supervised the lines of base; it con-

sisted of a company of pioneers and a detachment of

railway and telegraph troops. This department of in-

spection moved along with the advance-guard of the

army. The department of inspection connected with

the third army, which had its headquarters at Nancy on

August 18th, was transferred to Bar-le-Duc on the

twenty-sixth of the month. The second army's depart-

ment, which arrived at Saargemilnd on August 11th,

moved to Pont-a-Musson on the 16th, and later on to

Remilly. The department of the army of the Meusefollowed the army's headquarters to Clermont and

39

Beaumont. It arrived at Sedan on September 4th for

the purpose of clearing the battlefield, and was eventu-

ally transferred to Dammartin, near Paris. At the

larger towns, situated on the lines of base, depots, hos-

pitals, and bakeries were established, and a telegraph

service was instituted. This service was alloted to the

field-telegraph troops, to troops assigned for the main-

tenance of the lines of base, and to government oper-

ators. The field-telegraph service was performed by

five Prussian, two Bavarian, and one Wilrtemberg de-

tachments, which followed the army's operations in the

field. These troops sometimes did their work ahead of

the advance-guards, under the fire of the enemy. The

telegraph service of the lines of base was performed by

troops which belonged to three Prussian and one Ba-

varian detachments. The troops followed in the path of

the field-telegraph detachments and established regular

lines, with cross-lines, while the government telegraph

officials finished the temporary work previously done by

the troops. Central field-telegraph bureaus were estab-

lished at Nancy, Epernay, and Lagny, in order to facili-

tate the communication of the army with Germany.

Later on, Versailles became the centre of the telegraph

service with two main lines, one going over Sedan and the

other over Saarbriicken. The service of the field-telegraph,

together with that of the lines of base, covered 6,730 miles,

with 407 stations; while the government telegraph service

operated over 7,770 miles, with 118 stations.

A postal service was likewise established in the field.

The North German Confederation furnished a general

post office for the chief headquarters, a post office for

each army, and thirteen field post offices, with three

field-deliveries for each army corps. Later on, the

Confederation supplied the eight cavalry divisions, the

five divisions of reserve troops, the chief commands of

the army of the Meuse and the army of the South, and

the thirteenth and fourteenth corps, each with a branch

office. Each bureau of inspection of the lines of base

received three post offices, and the government of Alsace

and Lorraine a field post office. In the course of time a

courier postal service was established, with fixed sta-

tions, as well as regular mail-coaches for the forwarding

of packages. At Nancy a general post-office depart-

ment was organized on August 24th, embracing forty

post offices over the newly-occupied territory. At the be-

ginning of October a second post office was established at

Strasburg, both controlling at that time 158 postal stations.

The sanitary affairs of the army were well looked after

during the late war. Field-hospitals were erected at

five hundred different places. Two commissions were

appointed, whose duty was to attend and care for the

hospital-trains arriving at Weissenburg and Saarbriicken.

Nancy and Lagny were the stations from which the hos-

pital-trains left for Germany. At Lagny between 1,400

and 1,700 sick and wounded arrived daily from the

different French battlefields, and were here put on the

hospital-trains. Over 45,000 people, including 8,398

train-soldiers, were employed in the different sani-

tary departments of the army. The total sick and

wounded of German soldiers in France was 295,634.

Of this number 240,426 were transported to Germany.

Eleven millions of dollars in cash and five millions in

presents were sent to the German troops during their

stay on French soil; while foreign countries contributed

at the same time gratuities amounting to two and one-

half millions of dollars. For the forwarding of all this

material three principal depots, one reserve depot, and

twenty-six branch depots had to be established. Sixty

thousand men of the North-German and South-German

landwehr, the troops of the general government of

Alsace and Lorraine included, were needed to protect

the German lines of base. These troops had to undergo

a great deal of hardship and were often in much peril.

They were especially exposed to the attacks of the

hostile country people and franctireurs, who often tore up

railroad tracks, destroyed telegraph wires, and "held

up " arm}' wagons and stages.

THE GERMAN COLONIAL TROOPS

Though the troops employed for the defence of the

Imperial Colonies are not a part of the German army and

navy, their organization is here briefly treated. The

Colonial troops of East-Africa, the Kameruns and Togo

of West- Africa are recruited from natives. Their forces,

numbering 2,422 men, are trained and commanded by

German officers and noncommissioned officers. The

troops of East-Africa consist of Sudanese, Zulus, and

Askaris, and are employed for preserving public order

and safety in the Colonies, chiefly, however, for suppress-

ing the slave trade. The organization of the troops in-

cludes, with the German Emperor as commander-in-chief,

one commander, one sub-commander, seven lieutenants,

one surgeon, one commissary, and ten companies, each of

150 men. The Colonial troops of southwestern Africa,

which number 558 men, mostly mounted, consist of

volunteer officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates

of the German army. The privates bind themselves to

a longer active service, lasting from four to five years

longer than the usual contract stipulates. All German

officers, surgeons, and paymasters, who enter the Colonial

service, withdraw by this step from the regular organi-

zation of the army, which they may, however, reenter if

they wish to do so. The time of service in Africa, if it

extends over a period of six months, counts double in the

pension. Imperial subjects, who are liable for military

service and reside in the Colonies, may fulfill their

liability to serve by entering the ranks of the Colonial

forces. Those German soldiers and sailors who live in

the Colonies on furlough may be called to service in case

of emergency, according to the law of September 7th,

1896.

40

CLASSIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE ARMY

Commander-in-Chief of the German Imperial army

in time of war, His Majesty, the German Emperor

and King of Prussia, William II.

THE IMPERIAL HEADQUARTERSReporting Adjutant-General of the Emperor ; the

Adjutant-General in attendance and in command of the

headquarters; the General of the suite, also in attendance.

THE MILITARY CABINETDepartmental chief and the chiefs of the different

divisions, including the ministers of war of Prussia,

Bavaria, Saxony, Wflrtemberg.

THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE ARMYPrussia: Chief; quartermaster-general; quartermaster-

in-chief; chiefs of divisions of the great general staff;

chiefs of the army corps.

Subject to the chief of the general staff are: WarAcademy at Berlin ; the bureau of national survey, Ber-

lin ; the railway brigade, Berlin, consisting of 1st and

2nd regiments of railway troops, Berlin, and 3rd regiment,

Juterbog ; experimental division of the railway brigade,

bureau of the military railroad, Berlin ; detachment of

balloon troops, Berlin.

Bavaria : Chief; topographical bureau.

Saxony : Chief; topographical bureau.

Wurtemberg : Chief.

Commission of national defences : Berlin.

Commission of the imperial districts : Berlin.

Military plenipotentiaries of the German Federal

States : Bavaria, Saxony, Wflrtemberg.

National Gendarmerie : Prussia, Bavaria.

THE ARMY INSPECTIONSChief-command in the Marks: Berlin.

1st army inspection, Berlin : First, Second, Ninth,

Tenth, and Seventeenth army corps.

2nd army inspection, Dresden : Fifth, Sixth, Twelfth,

and Nineteenth army corps,

3rd army inspection, Hanover : Seventh, Eighth, Elev-

enth, Thirteenth, and Eighteenth army corps.

4th army inspection, Munich : Third and Fourth Prus-

sian, and First and Second Bavarian army corps.

5th army inspection, Carlsruhe : Fourteenth, Fifteenth,

and Sixteenth army corps.

The corps of the Guards is not subject to inspection.

GENERAL INSPECTION OP THE CAVALRY, BERLIN

1st cavalry inspection at Konigsberg; 2nd at Stettin;

3rd at Milnster; 4th at Saarbriicken.

Royal Bavarian inspection of the cavalry, Munich;

departments : Riding Academy and Institute of Horse-

shoeincr.

ARTILLERY INSPECTIONS

Inspection of field-artillery, Berlin ; departments

:

School of Gunnery for Field-Artillery, Jflterbog ; 1st

and 2nd instruction divisions, Juterbog.

General inspection of the foot-artillery, Berlin.

1st foot-art. inspection, Berlin.

1st foot-art. brig. Berlin: Regt. of Foot-Guards art.,

4th, 5th, and 6th regts. of foot-art.

2nd foot-art. brig., Thorn: 1st, 2nd, 11th, and 15th

regts. of foot-art.

Inspection of the 1st and 2nd artillery depot ; school

of gunnery for the foot-artillery, Juterbog;

school for artillery sergeants, Berlin.

2nd foot-art. inspection, Cologne.

3rd foot-art. brig., Metz : 7th, 8th, and 9th regt.

of foot-art.; 12th Royal Saxon regt.; 1st and

3rd Royal Bavarian bats, of 2nd regt. of foot-art.

4th foot-art. brig., Strasburg; 3rd and 10th regts. of

foot-art.; 13th bat. of foot-art.; 14th regt. of

foot-art.

3rd and 4th inspection of artillery depots.

GENERAL COMMISSION FOR ARTILLERY TESTS, BERLIN

1st commission for artillery tests : 1st division of field-

art. ; 2nd division of foot-art.

2nd experimental division of the commission for artillery

tests. Experimental company (practice-ground,

Cummersdorf). Depot-bureau of the commission

for artillery tests. Ordnance bureau, Berlin.

Royal Bavarian inspection of the foot-artillery, Munich;

school of artillery sergeants, Munich.

GENERAL INSPECTION OF THE ENGINEER AND PIONEERCORPS AND OP THE FORTRESSES, BERLIN

1st inspection of engineers, Berlin :

1st inspection of fortresses, KBnigsberg : KOnigs-

berg, Dantzic, Pillau, Boyen, Memel.

2nd inspection of fortresses, Kiel : Friedrichsort,

Cuxhaven with Heligoland, Geestemflnde, Wil-

helmshaven, Swinemtinde.

2nd inspection of engineers, Berlin

:

3rd inspection of fortresses, Posen : Posen, Glogau,

Neisse, Glatz ; depot-building bureau, Breslau.

4th inspection of fortresses, Thorn : Thorn, Grau-

denz, Kiistrin, Spandau, Magdeburg.

3rd inspection of engineers, Strasburg

:

5th inspection of fortresses, Strasburg : Strasburg,

Neubreisach, Bitsch, Ulm.

6th inspection of fortresses, Metz : Metz, Dieden-

hofen.

7th inspection of fortresses, Cologne : Cologne, Cob-

lenz, Mayence, Wesel.

Board of engineers, Berlin. School of fortification,

Charlottenburg. Inspection of the military telegraph

service, Berlin. Military telegraph school, Berlin.

41

1st inspection of pioneers, Berlin : Bat. of Guards

pioneers; 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 17th bats, of pioneers; 1st and

18th bats, of pioneers (First army corps, Konigsberg).

2nd inspection of pioneers, Mayence : 11th, 14th, and

Royal Wttrtemberg; 13th, 15th, and 19th bats. (Fifteenth

army corps, Strasburg) ; 16th and 20th (Sixteenth army

corps, Metz).

3rd inspection of pioneers, Magdeburg : 3rd, 4th, 7th,

8th, 0th, and 10th bats, of pioneers.

Royal Bavarian inspection of the engineer corps and

of the fortresses, Munich. Detachment of balloon troops,

Munich. Military telegraph school, Munich.

Inspection of jager and schtltzen, Berlin.

Inspection of the troops which maintain the communi-

cation of the army, Berlin.

Railway-brigade, Berlin : 1st, 2nd, and 3rd regts. of

railway troops; experimental division of the railway-

brigade, Berlin; bureau of the military road, Berlin.

Detachment of balloon troops, Berlin; inspection of

the telegraph troops, Berlin ; operating bureau of the

railway brigade, Berlin; cavalry telegraph school.

INSPECTION OP THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES OF THEINFANTRY AND ARTILLERY

Small arm factories at Spandau, Dantzic, Erfurt, Am-berg ; ammmunition factory at Spandau ; bureau of

artillery construction at Spandau; artillery work-

shops at Spandau, Deutz, Strasburg, Dantzic, Munich,

Dresden;gun foundries at Spandau, Ingolstadt

;pro-

jectile factories at Siegburg, Ingolstadt;pyrotechnical

laboratory at Spandau;powder factories at Spandau,

Hanau, Ingolstadt, Gnaschwitz ; experimental bureau at

Spandau; ordnance bureau at Berlin.

Inspection of the artillery depots, Berlin : 1st sub-

inspection of the artillery depot at Posen ; 2nd at Stettin;

3rd at Cologne ; 4th at Strasburg.

Inspection of the train depot, Berlin : 1st subinspec-

tion of the train depot at Dantzic ; 2nd at Berlin ; 3rd at

Cassel ; 4th at Strasburg.

United Artillery and Engineering School, Berlin.

GENERAL INSPECTION OF THE TECHNICAL AND EDU-

CATIONAL INSTITUTES OF THE ARMY

Supreme Board of Military Examiners, Berlin.

Inspection of the military schools, Berlin: Military

schools at Potsdam, Glogau, Neisse, Engers, Kassel,

Hanover, Anclam, Metz, Dantzic, Hersfeld.

Corps of Cadets, Berlin: Normal school of military

cadets at Gross-Lichterfelde; schools of cadets at Koslin,

Potsdam, Wahlstadt, Bensberg, Plon, Oranienstein,

Carlsruhe, and Dresden.

Inspection of infantry schools, Berlin: School of

musketry, Spandau; military gymnasium, Berlin; schools

for noncommissioned officers at Potsdam, Jillich, Bie-

brich, Weissensfels, Ettlingen, Marienwerder; prepara-

tory schools at Weilburg, Neu-Breisach, Jtllich, Wohlau,

Annaburg, Bartenstein, Greifenberg; military institute

for soldier's sons, Annaburg.

Commission for rifle tests, Spandau.

Inspection of the Royal Saxon schools for noncom-

missioned officers at Dresden; normal and preparatory

school at Marienberg.

Royal Bavarian inspection of the military educational

institutes, Munich: War academy, Munich ; artillery

and engineering school, Munich; military academy,

Munich; corps of cadets, Munich; normal and pre-

paratory school for noncommissioned officers, Fttrsten-

feldbruck; school of musketry, Augsburg.

Riding academy, Hanover.

Royal Bavarian riding academy, Munich.

Royal Saxon inspection of the riding academy, Dres-

den. Riding academy, Dresden.

Veterinary inspection, Berlin : Veterinary school,

Berlin ; horse-shoeing institutes at Berlin, Breslau,

Konigsberg, Gottesaue, Hanover, Frankfurt, Munich,

Dresden.

Inspection of the military penitentiaries, Berlin.

Inspection of the military penitentiaries, Munich.

THE ARMY CORPS

CORPS OF THE GUARDS, BERLIN

1st division of Guards infantry, Berlin.

1st brig. of Guards inf., Potsdam: 1st. regt. of Foot-

Guards, Potsdam ; 3rd regt. of Foot-Guards,

Berlin; bat. of Guards rifles, "Potsdam ; bat.

of inf. instructors, Potsdam.

2nd brig, of Guards inf., Berlin : 2nd regt. of Foot-

Guards, Berlin; regt. of Fusilier-Guards, Ber-

lin; 4th regt. of Foot-Guards, Berlin.

2nd division of Guards infantry, Berlin.

3rd brig, of Guards inf., Berlin : 1st regt. of Gren-

adier-Guards "Emperor Alexander of Russia,"

Berlin ; 3rd regt. of Grenadier-Guards "Queen

Elizabeth," Charlottenburg ; bat. of Guards

rifles, Gross-Lichterfelde.

4th brig, of Guards inf., Berlin : 2nd regt. of Grena-

dier-Guards "Emperor Franz," Berlin; 4th regt.

of Grenadier-Guards "Queen Augusta," Berlin.

5th brig, of Guards inf., Spandau : 5th regt. of

Foot-Guards, Spandau ; 5th regt. of Grenadier-

Guards, Spandau.

Division of Guards cavalry, Berlin.

1st brig, of Guards cav., Berlin: Regt. of Gardes

du Corps, Potsdam; regt. of Cuirassier-Guards,

Berlin.

2nd brig, of Guards cav., Potsdam: 1st regt. of

Uhlan-Guards, Potsdam; 3rd regt. of Uhlan-

Guards, Potsdam.

3rd brig, of Guards cav., Berlin : 1st regt. of

Dragoon-Guards "Queen of Great Britain and

Ireland," Berlin; 2nd regt. of Dragoon-Guards

" Empress Alexandra of Russia," Berlin.

4th brig, of Guards cav., Potsdam: Regt. of Hussars,

Body-Guards, Potsdam; detachment of mounted

Guards rifles; 2nd regt. of Uhlan-Guards, Berlin.

Brig, of Guards field-art., Berlin: 1st regt. of Guards

field-art., Berlin ; 2nd regt. of Guards field-art., Pots-

dam ; Guards bat. of the train, Berlin.

Attached to the corps are: Regt. of Guards foot-art.,

Spandau; bat. of the Guards pioneers, Berlin.

42

FIRST ARMY CORPS, KONIGSBERG

1st division, Konigsberg.

1st brig, of inf., Konigsberg: 1st regt. of Grenadiers

"King Frederick III." (East-Pruss. No. 1),

KSnigsberg; 41st regt. of inf. "von Boyen"(East-Pruss. No. 5), Tilsit.

''4th brig, of inf., Konigsberg: 3rd regt. of Grenadiers

" King Frederick William" (East-Pruss. No. 2),

KOnigsberg; 43rd regt. of inf. "Duke Carl of

Mecklenburg-Strelitz" (East-Pruss. No. 6),

Konigsberg.

'1st brig, of cav., KSnigsberg: 3rd regt. of Cuirassiers

"Count Wrangel " (East-Pruss.), Konigsberg;

squadron of mounted rifles of the First armycorps; 1st regt. of Dragoons "Prince Albrecht

of Prussia" (Lith.), Tilsit.

2nd division, Insterburg.

2nd brig, of inf., Gumbinnen: 33rd regt. of Fusiliers

"Count Roon" (East-Pruss.), Gumbinnen; 147th'

regt. of inf., Insterburg.

73rd brig, of inf., Rastenburg: 4th regt. of Grena-

diers "King Frederick II." (East-Pruss. No. 4),

Rastenburg; 59th regt. of inf. "Count Hiller

von GHrtringen " (Posen No. 4), Goldap.

2nd brig, of cav., Insterburg: 11th regt. of Dragoons

"von Wedel" (Pom.), Gumbinnen; 12th' regt.

of Uhlans (Lith.), Insterburg.

37th division, Allenstein.

3rd brig, of inf., Lyck: 45th regt. of inf. (East-Pruss.

Mo. 8); 146th''regt. of inf., Sensburg.

75th brig, of inf., Allenstein: 150th' regt. of inf.,

Allenstein; 151st" regt. of inf., Allenstein.

37th brig, of cav., Allenstein: 10th regt. of Dragoons

"King Albert of Saxony" (East-Pruss.), Allen-

stein; 8th regt. of Uhlans "Count zu Dohna"(East-Pruss.), Lyck.

1st brig, of field-art., Konigsberg: 1st regt. of field-art.

"Prince August of Prussia" (East-Pruss.), Insterburg;

16th regt. of field-art. (West-Pruss.), KOnigsberg ; 1st

bat. of the train (East-Pruss.), Konigsberg.

Attached to the corps are: 1st bat. of rifles "CountYork von Wartenburg" (East-Pruss.), Ortelsburg; 1st

regt. of foot-art. " von Linger," Konigsberg ; 1st bat.

of pioneers "Prince Radziwill" (East-Pruss.), Konigs-

berg ; 18th bat. of pioneers, Konigsberg.

SECOND ARMY CORPS, STETTIN

3rd division, Stettin.

5th brig, of inf., Stettin: 2nd regt. of Grenadiers

"King Frederick William IV." (Pom. No. 1),

Stettin ; 42nd regt. of inf. " Prince Moritz of

Anhalt-Dessau" (Pom. No. 5), Stralsund.

6th brig, of inf., Stettin: 9th regt. of Colberg Grena-

diers " Count Gneisenau" (Pom. No. 2), Star-

gard ; 54th regt. of inf. " von der Goltz " (Pom.

No. 7), Kolberg.

3rd brig, of cav., Stettin: 2nd regt. of Cuirassiers

"The Queen's Own" (Pom.), Pasewalk; 9th

regt. of Uhlans (Pom.), Demmin.

4th division, Bromberg.

7th brig, of inf., Bromberg : 34th regt. of Fusiliers

(Pom.), Bromberg ; 129th' regt. of inf., Brom-

berg.

8th brig, of inf., Gnesen : 49th regt. of inf. (Pom.

No. 6), Gnesen ; 140th* regt. of inf., Inowrazlaw.

74th brig": of inf., Stettin: 148th regt. of inf., Stettin;

149th regt. of inf., Schneidemuhl.

4th brig, of cav., Bromberg: 3rd regt. of mounted

Grenadiers " Baron von Derfflinger" (NeumHrk),

Bromberg; 12th regt. of Dragoons "von Arnim"(Brandenb. No. 2), Gnesen.

2nd brig, of field-art., Stettin : 2nd regt. of field-art.

(Pom. No. 1), Stettin; 17th regt. of field-art. (Pom.

No. 2), Bromberg; 2nd bat. of the train (Pom.), Alt-

Damm.

Attached to the corps are: 2nd regt. of foot-art.

"von Hindersin" (Pom.), Dantzic ; 17th bat. of pioneers,

Stettin.

THIRD ARMY CORPS, BERLIN

5th division, Frankfurt-on-the-Oder.

9th brig, of inf., Frankfurt: 8th regt. of Grenadiers

—

Body-Guards— "King Frederick William III."

(Brandenb. No. 1), Frankfurt; 48th regt. of inf.

" von Stillpnagel" (Brandenb. No. 5), Ktistrin.

10th brig, of inf., Frankfurt: 12th regt. of Grenadiers

"Prince Karl of Prussia" (Brandenb. No. 2),

Frankfurt; 52nd regt. of inf. "von Alvens-

leben" (Brandenb. No. 6), Kottbus.

5th brig, of cav. Frankfurt: 2nd regt. of Dragoons

(Brandenb. No. 1), Schwedt; 3rd regt. of

Uhlans "Emperor Alexander II. of Russia"

(Brandenb. No. 1), Ftlrstenwalde.

6th division, Brandenburg.

11th brig, of inf., Brandenburg: 20th regt. of inf.

"Count Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (Bran-

denb. No. 3), Wittenberg; 35th regt. of Fusi-

liers "Prince Henry of Prussia" (Brandenb.

No. 3), Brandenburg.

12th brig, of inf., Brandenburg: 24th regt. of inf.

"Grand Duke Frederick Franz II. of Mecklen-

burg-Schwerin" (Brandenb. No. 4), Neu-

Ruppin; 64th regt. of inf. "Fieldmarshal Prince

Frederick Charles of Prussia " (Brandenb. No.

8), Prenzlau.

6th brig, of cav., Brandenburg: 6th regt. of Cuiras-

siers "Emperor Nicholas I. of Russia" (Bran-

denb.), Brandenburg; 3rd regt. of Hussars "von

Zieten" (Brandenb.), Rathenow.

3rd brig., of field-art. Berlin: 3rd regt. of field-art.

" Great Master of the Ordnance" (Brandenb. No. 1), Bran-

denburg ; 18th regt. of field-art. "Great Master of the

Ordnance" (Brandenb. No. 2), Frankfurt; 3rd bat. of

the train (Brandenb.), Spandau.

Attached to the corps are : 3rd bat. of rifles (Brandenb.),

Lttbben; 3rd bat. of pioneers "von Rauch" (Brandenb.),

Spandau; Landwehr inspection, Berlin.

FOURTH ARMY CORPS, MAGDEBURG

7th division, Magdeburg.

13th brig, of inf., Magdeburg: 26th regt. of inf.

"Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau (Magdeb,

No. 1), Magdeburg; 66th regt. of inf. (Magdeb.

No. 3), Magdeburg.

43

14th brig, of inf., Halberstadt: 27th regt. of inf

"Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia" (Magdeb.

No. 2), Halberstadt; 165th regt. of inf. (Hanov.

No. 5), Goslar.

7th brig, of cav., Magdeburg: 10th regt. of Hussars

(Magdeb.), Stendal; 16th regt. of Uhlans "Hen-

nings von Treffenfeld " (Altmiirk.), Salzwedel.

8th division, Halle.

15th brig, of inf., Halle: 36th regt. of Fusiliers (Mag-

deb.), Anhalt; 93rd regt. of inf., Dessau.

16th brig, of inf., Torgau: 72nd regt. of inf. (Thlir.

No. 4), Torgau; 153rd regt. of inf. (Thlir.

No. 8), Altenburg.

8th brig, of cav., Halle: 7th regt. of Cuirassiers "von

Seydlitz" (Magdeb.), Halberstadt; 12th regt.

of Hussars (Thilr.), Merseburg.

4th brig, of field-art., Magdeburg: 4th regt. of field-art.

" Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria" (Magdeb.), Mag-

deburg; 19th regt. of field-art. (Thlir.), Erfurt; 4th bat.

of the train (Magdeb.), Magdeburg.

Attached to the corps are: 4th regt. of foot-art.

"Encke" (Magdeb.), Magdeburg; 4th bat. of pioneers

(Magdeb.), Magdeburg.

FIFTH ARMY CORPS, POSEN

9th division, Glogau. >

17th brig, of inf., Glogau: 50th regt. of inf. (Lower-

Siles. No. 3), Rawitsch; 58thT regt. of inf.

(Posen No. 3), Glogau.

18th brig, of inf., Liegnitz: 7th regt. of Grenadiers

" King William I." (West-Pruss. No. 2), Lieg-

nitz; 19th regt. of inf. "von Courbiere" (Posen

No. 2), Gorlitz.

9th brig, of cav., Glogau: 4th regt. of Dragoons

" von Bredow "( Siles. No. 1 ) , Ltlben ; 10th regt.

of Uhlans " Prince August of Wlirtemberg

"

(Posen), Zilllichau.

10th division, Posen.

19th brig, of inf., Posen : 6th regt. of Grenadiers

"Count Kleist von Nollendorf" (West-Pruss.

No. 1), Posen; 46th regt. of inf. "Count Kirch-

bach" (Lower-Siles. No. 1), Posen.

20th brig, of inf., Posen : 37th regt. of Fusiliers

"von Steinmetz" (Westphal.), Krotoschin; 47th

regt. of inf. (Lower-Siles. No. 2), Posen.

77th brig, of inf., Ostrowo: 154th regt. of inf., Jauer;

155th''regt. of inf., Ostrowo.

10th brig, of cav., Posen : 2nd regt. of Hussars "The

Empress's Own" (Body-Guards No. 2), Posen;

1st regt. of Uhlans "Emperor Alexander III. of

Russia" (West-Pruss.), Militsch.

5th brig, of field-art., Posen: 5th regt. of field-art. "von

Podbielski" (Lower-Siles.), Glogau; 20th regt. of field-

art. (Posen), Posen ; 5th bat. of the train (Lower-Siles.),

Posen.

Attached to the corps are : 5th regt. of foot-art.

(Lower-Siles.), Posen; 5th bat. of rifles "von Neumann"

(Siles. No. 1), Hirschberg; 5th bat. of pioneers (Lower-

Siles.), Glogau.

SIXTH ARMY CORPS, BRESLAU

11th division, Breslau.

21st brig, of inf., Schweidnitz: 10th regt. of Grena-

diers " King Frederick William II." (Siles.

No. 1), Schweidnitz ; 38th regt. of Fusiliers

" Fieldmarshal Count Moltke" (Siles.), Glatz.

22nd brig, of inf., Breslau: 11th regt. of Grenadiers

"Crown Prince Frederick William" (Siles.

No. 2), Breslau; 51st regt. of inf. (Lower-

Siles. No. 4), Breslau. ,

' 5;!r----

78th brig, of inf., Brieg: 156th regt. of inf., Brieg;

157th regt. of inf., Brieg.

11th brig, of cav., Breslau: 1st regt. of Cuirassiers

—

Body-Guards— "Great Elector" (Siles.), Bres-

lau; 8th regt. of Dragoons "King Frederick III."

(Siles. No. 2), Oels; 4th regt. of Hussars "von

Schill" (Siles. No. 1), Ohlau.

12th division, Neisse.

23rd brig, of inf., Neisse: 22nd regt. of inf. "Keith"

(Upper-Siles. No. 1), Gleiwitz; 62nd regt. of

inf. (Upper-Siles. No. 3), Cosel.

24th brig, of inf., Neisse: 23rd regt. of inf. "von

Winterfeldt" (Upper-Siles. No. 2), Neisse;

63rd regt. of inf. (Upper-Siles. No. 4), Oppeln.

12th brig, of cav., Neisse: 6th regt. of Hussars "Count

Goetzen" (Siles. No. 2), Leobschtltz; 2nd regt.

of Uhlans "von Katzler" (Siles.), Gleiwitz.

6th brig, of field-art., Breslau: 6th regt. of field-art.

"von Peucker" (Siles.), Breslau; 21st regt, of field-art.

"von Clausewitz" (Upper-Siles.), Neisse; 6th bat. of the

train (Siles), Breslau.

Attached to the corps are: 6th regt. of foot-art. "von

Dieskau" (Siles.), Neisse; 6th bat. of rifles (Siles.), Oels;

6th bat. of pioneers (Siles.), Neisse.

SEVENTH ARMY CORPS, MUNSTER

13th division, Mtinster.

25th brig, of inf., Mtinster: 13th regt. of inf. "Her-

warth von Bittenfeld " (Westph. No. 1),

Mtinster; 56th regt. of inf. " Vogel von Falken-

stein" (Westph. No. 7), Wesel.

26th brig, of inf., Minden: 15th regt. of inf. "Prince

Frederick of the Netherlands" (Westph. No.

2), Minden; 55th regt. of inf. "Count Billow

von Dennewitz " (Westph. No. 6), Detmold.

79th brig, of inf., Paderborn: 158th regt. of inf.,

Paderborn; 159th regt. of inf., Milhlheim.

13th brig, of cav., Mtinster : 4th regt. of Cuirassiers

"von Driesen" (Westph.), Mtinster; 8th regt.

of Hussars "Emperor Nicholas of Russia"

(Westph. No. 1), Paderborn.

14th division, Dtlsseldorf.

27th brig, of inf., Cologne: 16th regt. of inf. "Count

von Sparr" (Westph. No. 3), Cologne; 53rd

regt. of inf. (Westph. No. 5), Cologne.

44

28th brig, of inf., Dtlsseldorf: 39th regt. of Fusiliers

(Lower-Rhen.), Dtlsseldorf; 57th regt. of inf.

"Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick" (Westph.

No. 8), Wesel.

14th brig, of oav., Diisseldorf : 11th regt. of Hussars

(Westph. No. 2), Diisseldorf; 5th regt. of

Uhlans (Westph.), Dtlsseldorf.

7th brig, of field-art., Mtinster: 7th regt. of field-art.

(Westph. No. 1), Wesel; 22nd regt. of field-art. (Westph.

No. 2), Mtinster; 7th bat. of the train (Westph.), Milnster.

Attached to the corps are: 7th regt. of foot-art.

(Westph.), Cologne; 7th bat. of rifles (Westph.),

BUckeburg; 7th bat. of pioneers (Westph.), Deutz.

EIGHTH ARMY CORPS, COBLENZ

15th division, Cologne.

29th brig, of inf., Aix-la-Chapelle : 40th regt. of

Fusiliers "Prince Charles Anton of Hohenzol-

lern" (Hohenzoll.), Aix-la-Chapelle; 65th regt.

of inf. (Rhen. No. 5), Cologne.

30th brig, of inf., Coblenz : 28th regt. of inf. "vonGoeben" (Rhen. No. 2), Ehrenbreitstein; 68th

regt. of inf. (Rhen. No. 6), Coblenz.

15th brig, of oav., Cologne: 8th regt. of Cuirassiers

"Count Gessler" (Rhen.), Deutz; 7th regt. of

Hussars "King William I." (Rhen. No. 1),

Bonn.

16th division, Treves.

31st brig, of inf., Treves: 29th regt. of inf. "vonHorn" (Rhen. No. 3), Treves; 69th regt. of inf.

(Rhen. No. 7), Treves.

32nd brig, of inf., Saarbrtlcken: 30th regt. of inf.

"Count Werder" (Rhen. No. 4), Saarlouis;

70th regt. of inf. (Rhen. No. 8), Saarbrtlcken.

80th brig, of inf., Treves: 160th regt. of inf., Bonn;

161st regt. of inf., Treves.

16th brig, of cav., Saarbrtlcken: 7th regt. of Dragoons

(Westph.), Saarbrtlcken ; 7th regt. of Uhlans

"Grand Duke Frederick of Baden" (Rhen.),

Saarbrilcken.

8th brig, of field-art., Coblenz: 8th regt. of field-art.

"von HoltzendorfE " (Rhen. No. 1), Saarlouis; 23rd regt.

of field-art. (Rhen. No. 2), Coblenz; 8th bat. of the train

(Rhen.), Ehrenbreitstein.

Attached to the corps are: 9th regt. of foot-art. (Schles-

wig-Holstein), Ehrenbreitstein; 8th bat. of pioneers.

(Rhen.), Coblenz.

NINTH ARMY CORPS, ALTONA

17th division, Schwerin.

33rd brig, of inf., Altona: 75th regt. of inf. (Hanseat.

No. 1), Bremen; 76th regt. of inf. (Hanseat.

No. 2), Hamburg.

34th brig, of inf. (Grand-Duchy of Mecklenb.),

Schwerin: 89th regt. of Grenadiers (Grand-

Duchy of Mecklenb.), Schwerin; 90th regt. of

Fusiliers (Grand-Duchy of Mecklenb.), Rostock.

81st brig, of inf., Ltibeck: 162nd regt. of inf. (Han-

seat. No. 3), Ltibeck; 163rd regt". of inf., Neu-

mtlnster.

17th brig, of cav. (Grand-Duchy of Mecklenb.),

Schwerin: 17th regt. of Dragoons (Mecklenb.

No. 1), Ludwigslust; 18th regt. of Dragoons

(Mecklenb. No. 2), Parchim.

18th division, Flensburg.

35th brig, of inf., Flensburg: 84th regt. of inf.

"von Manstein" (Schleswig), Schleswig; 86th

regt. of Fusiliers " The Queen's Own " (Schles-

wig-Holstein), Flensburg.

36th brig, of inf., Rendsburg: 31st regt. of inf.

"Count Bose" (Thtir. No. 1), Altona; 85th regt.

of inf. "Duke of Holstein " (Holstein), Rends-

burg.

18th brig, of cav., Altona: 15th regt. of Hussars

"Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands"

(Hanov.), Wandsbeck; 16th regt. of Hussars

"Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria" (Schles-

wig-Holstein), Schleswig.

9th brig, of field. -art., Altona: 9th regt. of field-art.

(Schleswig), Itzehoe; 24th regt. of field-art. (Holstein),

Schwerin; 9th bat. of the train (Schleswig-Holstein),

Rendsburg.

Attached to the corps are: 9th bat. of rifles (Lauen-

burg), Ratzeburg; 9th bat. of pioneers (Schleswig-

Holstein), Harburg.

TENTH ARMY CORPS, HANOVER

19th division, Hanover.

37th brig, of inf., Oldenburg: 78th regt. of inf.

"Duke Frederick William of Brunswick " (East-

Fries.), Osnabrtiok; 91st regt. of inf. (Oldenb.),

Oldenburg.

38th brig, of inf., Hanover: 73rd regt. of Fusiliers

"Fieldmarshal Prince Albrecht of Prussia"

(Hanov.), Hanover; 74th regt. of inf. (Hanov.

No. 1), Hanover.

19th brig, of cav., Hanover: 19th regt. of Dragoons

(Oldenb.), Oldenburg; 13th regt. of Uhlans

(Royal Hanov. No. 1), Hanover.

20th division, Hanover.

39th brig, of inf., Hanover: 79th regt. of inf. "vonVoigts-Rhetz" (Hanov. No. 3), Hildesheim;

164th regt. of inf. (Hanov. No. 4), Hameln.

40th brig, of inf., Brunswick: 77th regt. of inf.

(Hanov. No. 2), Celle; 92nd regt. of inf.

(Bruns.), Brunswick.

20th brig, of cav., Hanover: 16th regt. of Dragoons

(Hanov. No. 2), Ltineburg; 17th regt. of

Hussars (Bruns.), Brunswick.

10th brig, of field-art., Hanover: 10th regt. of field-art.

"von Scharnhorst" (Hanov. No. 1), Hanover; 26th regt.

of field-art. (Hanov. No. 2), Verden; 10th bat. of the

train (Hanov.), Hanover.

Attached to the corps is: 10th bat. of pioneers

(Hanov.), Minden.

ELEVENTH ARMY CORPS, CASSEL

22nd division, Cassel.

43rd brig, of inf., Cassel: 82nd regt. of inf. (Hess.

No. 2), G5ttingen; 83rd regt. of inf. "vonWittich " (Hess. No. 3), Cassel.

45

44th brig, of inf., Cassel : 32nd, regt. of inf. (Thiir.

No. 2), Meiningen; 167th regt. of inf., Cassel.

22nd brig, of cav., Cassel: 5th regt. of Dragoons

"von Manteuffel" (Ehen.), Hof-Geismar; 14th

regt. of Hussars " Landgrave Frederick II. of

Hesse-Homburg" (Hess. No. 2), Cassel.

38th division, Erfurt.

76th brig, of inf., Erfurt: 71st regt. of inf. (Thiir.

No. 3), Erfurt; 95th regt. of inf. (Thiir. No. 6),

Gotha.

83rd brig, of inf., Erfurt: 94th regt. of inf. "Grand

Duchy of Saxony" (Thiir. No. 5), Weimar;

96th regt. of inf. (Thiir. No. 7), Gera.

11th brig, of field-art., Cassel: 11th regt. of field-art.

(Hess.), Cassel; 27th regt. of field-art. (Nassau), Mayence;

11th bat. of the train (Hess.), Cassel; 11th bat. of rifles

(Hess.), Marburg.

TWELFTH ARMY CORPS, DRESDEN(ROYAL SAXON NO. i)

23rd division (Royal Saxon No. 1), Dresden.

45th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 1), Dresden;

100th regt. of inf. (Saxon Grenadiers No. 1—Body-Guards), Dresden; 101st regt. of inf.

"Emperor William, King of Prussia" (Saxon

Grenadiers No. 2), Dresden.

46th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 2), Dresden:

102nd regt. of inf. (Saxon No.'tS) "Prince-,.

Regent Luitpold of Bavaria," Zittau; H?7th

regt. of inf. (Saxon No. 12), Dresden.

23rd brig, of cav. (Royal Saxon No. 1), Dresden:

Regt. of Horse-Guards (Heavy Regt. No. 1),

Dresden; 17th regt. of Uhlans " Emperor Franz

Joseph of Austria" (Saxon No. 1), Oschatz;

squadron of mounted rifles (Twelfth army corps).

32nd division (Royal Saxon No. 3), Dresden.

63rd brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 5), Dresden:

103rd regt. of inf. (Saxon No. '^4), Bautzen;

178th regt. of inf. (Saxon No. 13), Kamenz.

64th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 6), Dresden:

108th regt. of rifles (Fusiliers) " Prince-Regent

George," Dresden; 12th bat. of rifles (Saxon

No. 1), Freiberg; 13th bat. of rifles (Saxon

No. 2), Dresden.

32nd brig, of cav. (Royal Saxon No. 3), Dresden:

18th regt. of Hussars " The King's Own " ( Saxon

No. 1), Grossenhain; 19th regt. of Hussars

"The Queen's Own" (Saxon No. 2), Grimma.

12th brig, of field-art., Dresden: 12th regt. of field-art.

(Saxon No. 1), Dresden; 28th regt. of field-art. (Saxon

No. 2), Pirna; 12th bat. of the train, Dresden.

Attached to the corps are : 12th bat. of pioneers, Dres-

den; 7th and 8th comp. of railway troops, Berlin.

THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS, STUTTGART(ROYAL WURTEMBERG)

26th division (Royal Wiirtemb. No. 1), Stuttgart.

51st brig, of inf. (Royal Wiirtemb. No. 1), Stutt-

gart: 119th regt. of inf. "Queen Olga" (Wiir-

temb. Grenadiers No. 1 ) , Stuttgart ; 1 25th regt.

of inf. " Emperor Frederick, King of Prussia

"

(Wiirtemb. No. 7), Stuttgart.

52nd brig, of inf. (Royal Wiirtemb. No. 2), Lud-

wigsburg: 121st regt. of inf. "Old Wurtem-

berg" (Wiirtemb. No. 3), Ludwigsburg; 122nd

regt. of inf. " Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria"

(Wiirtemb. No. 4), Heilbronn.

26th brig, of cav. (Royal Wiirtemb. No. 1), Stutt-

gart: 25th regt. of Dragoons "Queen Olga"

(Wiirtemb. No. 1), Ludwigsburg; 26th regt.

of Dragoons "The King's Own" (Wiirtemb.

No. 2), Stuttgart.

27th division (Royal Wttrtemb. No. 2), Ulm.

53rd brig, of inf. (Royal Wiirtemb. No. 3), Ulm :

123rd regt. of inf. "King Charles" (Wiirtemb.

Grenadiers No. 5), Ulm ; 124th regt. of inf.

" King William I." (Wiirtemb. No. 6), Wein-

garten.

54th brig, of inf. (Royal Wttrtemb. No. 4), Ulm:

120th regt. of inf. "Emperor William, King of

Prussia" (Wiirtemb. No. 2), Ulm; 127th regt.

of inf. (Wiirtemb. No. 9), Ulm; 180th regt. of

inf. (Wiirtemb. No. 10), Tubingen; 126th regt.

of inf. "Grand Duke Frederick of Baden"

(Wiirtemb. No. 8), under Fifteenth army corps.

27th brig, of cav. (Royal Wiirtemb. No. 2), Ulm:

19th regt. of Uhlans "King Charles" (Wttr-

temb. No. 1), Ulm; 20th regt. of Uhlans "King

William I." (Wiirtemb. No. 2), Ludwigsburg.

13th brig, of field-art. (Royal Wiirtemb.), Ludwigs-

burg: 13th regt. of field-art. " King Charles" (Wiirtemb.

No. 1), Ulm; 29th regt. of field-art. "Prince-Regent

Luitpold of Bavaria" (Wiirtemb. No. 2), Ludwigsburg;

13th bat. of the train (Wttrtemb.), Ludwigsburg.

Attached to the corps are: 13th bat. of pioneers (Wiir-

temb.), Ulm; 4th comp, of the railway troops (Royal

Wttrtemb.), Berlin.

FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, CARLSRUHE

28th division, Carlsruhe.

55th brig, of inf., Carlsruhe : 109th regt. of inf.

(Baden Grenadiers No. 1—Body-Guards), Carls-

ruhe ; 110th regt. of inf. "Emperor William"

(Baden Grenadiers No. 2), Mannheim and Hei-

delberg.

56th brig, of inf., Rastatt: 25th regt. of inf. "von

Ltltzow" (Rhen. No. 1), Rastatt; 111th regt.

of inf. "Margrave Ludwig W7illiam" (Baden

No. 3), Rastatt.

28th brig, of cav., Carlsruhe: 20th regt. of Dragoons

(Baden No. 1— Body-Guards), Carlsruhe; 21st

regt. of Dragoons (Baden No. 2), Bruchsal.

29th division, Freiburg in Baden.

57th brig, of inf., Freiburg: 113th regt. of inf.

(Baden No. 5), Freiburg; 114th regt. of inf.

"Emperor Frederick III." (Baden No. 6),

Constance-Hohenzollern.

58th brig, of inf., Miihlhausen: 112th regt. of inf.

"Prince William" (Baden No. 4), Miihl-

hausen; 142nd regt. of inf. (Baden No. 7),

Miihlhausen.

29th brig, of cav., Colmar: 14th regt. of Dragoons

(KurmSrck.), Colmar; 22nd regt. of Dragoons

"Prince Charles" (Baden No. 3), Miihlhausen;

one squadron of mounted rifles.

46

39th division, Colmar.

82nd brig, of inf. (rifles), Colmar: 4th bat. of rifles

(Magdeburg), Colmar; 8th bat.of rifles (Rhenish),

Schlettstadt; 10th bat. of rifles (Hanover), Col-mar; 14th bat. of rifles (Mecklenburg), Colmar.

84th brig, of inf. (rifles), Lahr: 169th regt. of inf.

(Baden No. 8), Lahr; 170th regt. of inf. (BadenNo. 9), Offenburg.

14th brig, of field-art., Carlsruhe: 14th regt. of field-

art. (Baden No. 1), Carlsruhe; 30th regt. of field-art.

(Baden No. 2), Rastatt; 14th bat. of the train (Baden),Durlach.

Attached to the corps are: 14th regt. of foot-art.

(Baden), Strasburg; 14th bat. of pioneers (Baden), Kehl.

FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, STRASBURG

30th division, Strasburg. .

59th brig, of inf., Saarburg: 97th regt. of inf., Saar-

burg; 136th'regt. of inf., Dieuze. ,•

60th brig, of inf., Strasburg: 99th"regt. of inf.,

Zabern; 143rd regt of inf., Strasburg.

85th brig, of inf., Strasburg: 105th regt. of inf.

"King William II. of Wiirtemberg" (SaxonNo. 6), Strasburg; 171st regt. of inf., Bitsch;

172nd regt. of inf., Strasburg.

30th brig, of cav., Saarburg: 11th regt. of Uhlans(Brandenb. No. 2), Saarburg; 15th regt. of

Uhlans (Schleswig-Holstein), Saarburg.

31st division, Strasburg.

61st brig, of inf., Strasburg: 126th regt. of inf.

"Grand Duke Frederick of Baden" (Wiirtemb.No. 8), Strasburg; 132nd" regt. of inf., Stras-

burg; 138th regt. 'of inf., Strasburg.

62nd brig, of inf., Hagenau: 60th regt. of inf. "Mar-grave Charles" (Brandenb. No. 7), Weissen-burg; 137th regt. of inf., Hagenau.

31st brig, of cav., Strasburg: 15th regt. of Dragoons(Siles. No. 3), Hagenau; 9th regt. of Hussars(Rhen. No. 2), Strasburg; one squadron of

mounted rifles.

15th brig, of field-art., Strasburg: 15th regt. of field-

art., Strasburg; 31st regt. of field-art., Hagenau; 15thbat. of the train, Strasburg.

Attached to the corps are: 10th regt. of foot-art.,

Strasburg; 13th bat. of foot-art., Ulm; Com. of the

pioneers of the fifteenth army corps ; 15th bat. of pio-

neers, Strasburg ; 19th bat. of pioneers, Strasburg.

SIXTEENTH ARMY CORPS, METZ

33rd division, Metz.

65th brig, of inf., MOrchingen: 17th regt. of inf.

" Count Barfuss" (Westph. No. 4), MBrchingen;144th regt. of inf., Morchingen.

66th brig, of inf., Metz: 98th regt. of inf., Metz;130th regt;. of inf., Metz.

33rd brig, of cav., Metz: 9th regt. of Dragoons(Hanov. No. 1), Metz; 13th regt. of Dragoons(Schleswig-Holstein), Metz.

34th division, Metz.

67th brig, of inf., Metz: 67th regt. of inf. (Magdeb.No. 4), Metz; 131sl"regt. of inf., Metz.

68th brig, of inf., Metz: 135th regt. of inf., Dieden-

hofen; 145th regt. of inf. "The King's Own.' r

Metz.

86th brig, of inf., Metz: 173rd regt. of inf., St

Avoid; 174th tegt. of inf., Metz.

34th brig, of cav., Metz: 6th regt. of Dragoons

(Magdeb.), Diedenhofen; 14th regt, of Uhlans

(Hanov. No. 2), St. Avoid.

16th brig, of field-art., Metz: 33rd regt. of field-art.,

Metz; 34th regt. of field-art., Metz; 16th bat. of the train,

Fohrbach.

Attached to the corps are: 8th regt. of foot-art. (Rhen.),

Metz; 12th regt. of foot-art. (Royal Saxon), Metz; 2ndregt. of Royal Bavarian foot-art., Metz; 16th bat. of

pioneers, Metz; 20th bat. of pioneers, Metz.

SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS, DANTZIC

35th division, Graudenz.

69th brig, of inf., Graudenz: 14th regt. of inf.

"Count .Schwerin " (Pom. No. 3), Graudenz;

141st regt. of inf., Graudenz.

70th brig, of inf., Thorn: 21st regt. of inf. "von

Borcke " (Pom. No. 4), Thorn; 61st regt. of inf.

" von der Marwitz " (Pom. No. 8), Thorn.

87th brig, of inf., Thorn: 175th"regt. of inf., Graudenz; 176th regt. of inf., Thorn.

35th brig, of cav., Graudenz: 5th regt. of Cuirassiers

" Prince Frederick Eugene of Wiirtemberg

"

(West-Pruss.), Riesenburg; 4th regt. of Uhlans" von Schmidt " (Pom. No. 1), Thorn.

36th division, Dantzic.

71st brig, of inf., Dantzic: 5th regt. of Grenadiers

"King Frederick I." (East-Pruss. No. 4),

Dantzic; 128th regt. of inf., Dantzic.

72nd brig, of inf., Deutsch-Eylau: 18th regt. of inf

"von Grolman" (Posen No. 1), Osterode; 44th

regt. of inf. " Count DOnhoff " (East-Pruss.

No. 7), Deutsch-Eylau; 152nd regt. of inf.,

Deutsch :Eylau.

36th brig, of cav., Dantzic: 1st regt. of Hussars

(Body-Guards No. 1), Dantzic; 5th regt. of

Hussars "Prince Bliicher von Wahlstatt

"

(Pom.), Stolp; one squadron of mounted rifles.

17th brig, of field-art., Dantzic: 35th regt. of field-art.,

Graudenz; 36th regt. of field-art., Dantzic; 17th bat. of

the train, Dantzic.

Attached to the corps are: 11th regt. of foot-art.,

Thorn; 15th regt. of foot-art., Thorn; 2nd bat. of rifles

(Pom.), Culm; 2nd bat. of pioneers (Pom.), Thorn.

EIGHTEENTH ARMY CORPS, FRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN

21st division, Frankfurt.

41st brig, of inf., Mayence: 87th regt of inf. (Nassau

No. 1), Mayence; 88th regt. of inf. (Nassau No.

2), Mayence.

42nd brig, of inf., Frankfurt: 80th regt. of I usiliers

"vonGersdorff" (Hess.), Wiesbaden; 81st re,gt.

of inf. (Hess. No. 1), Frankfurt; 166th 'regtf' of':

inf., Hanau.

47

21st brig, of cav., Frankfurt: 13th regt. of Hussars

" King Humbert of Italy " (Hess. No. 1),

Mayence; 6th regt. of Uhlans (Thilr.), Hanau.

25th division (Grand-Duchy of Hesse), Darmstadt.

49th brig, of inf. (Grand-Duchy of Hesse No. 1),

Darmstadt: 115th regt. of inf. (Grand-Duchy of

Hesse No. 1—Body-Guards), Darmstadt; 116th

regt. of inf. "Emperor William" (Grand-Duchy

of Hesse No. 2), Giessen ; 168th regt. of inf.

(Grand-Duchy of Hesse No. 5), Offenbach.

50th brig, of inf. (Grand-Duchy of Hesse No. 2),

Mayence: 117th regt. of inf. (Grand-Duchy of

Hesse No. 3—Body-Guards), Mayence; 118th

regt. of inf. "Prince Carl" (Grand-Duchy of

Hesse No. 4), Worms.

25th brig, of cav. (Grand-Duchy of Hesse), Darm-

stadt: 23rd regt. of Dragoons (Grand-Duchy

of Hesse No. 1— Dragoon-Guards), Darmstadt;

24th regt. of Dragoons (Grand-Duchy of Hesse

No. 2— Body-Guards), Darmstadt.

25th regt. of field-art. (Grand-Duchy of Hesse), Darm-

stadt; 3rd regt. of foot-art. " Grand Master of Field-

Ordnance " (Brandenb.), Mayence; 11th bat. of pioneers

(Grand-Duchy of Hesse), Mayence; 25th bat. of the train

(Grand-Duchy of Hesse), Darmstadt.

NINETEENTH ARMY CORPS, LEIPSIC(ROYAL SAXON NO. 2)

24th division (Royal Saxon No. 2), Leipsic.

47th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 3), Leipsic: 139th

regt. of inf. (Saxon No. 11), DObeln; 179th

regt. of inf. (Saxon No. 14), Leipsic.

48th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 4): 106th regt. of

inf. "Prince George" (Saxon No. 7), Leipsic;

407th regt. of inf. "Prince Johann George"

(Saxon No.^o), Leipsic.

24th brig, of cav. (Royal Saxon No. 2), Leipsic: Regt.

of Carabiniers (Heavy Regt. No. 2), Borna; 18th

regt. of Uhlans (Saxon No. 2), Leipsic.

40th division (Royal Saxon No. 4), Chemnitz.

88th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 7), Chemnitz:

104th regt. of inf. " Prince Frederick August

"

(Saxon No. 5), Chemnitz; 15th bat. of rifles

(Saxon No. 3), Wurzen.

89th brig, of inf. (Royal Saxon No. 8), Zwickau:

133rd regt. of inf. (Saxon No. 9), Zwickau;

134th regt. of inf. (Saxon No. 10), Leipsic;

105th regt. of inf. " King William II. of Wiir-

temberg " (Saxon No. 6).

32nd regt. of field-art. (Saxon No. 3), Riesa; 12th

regt. of foot-art. attached to the Sixteenth army corps.

FIRST ROYAL BAVARIAN ARMY CORPS, MUNICH

1st division, Munich.

1st brig, of inf., Munich: Regt. of inf. (Body-Guards),

Munich; 1st regt. of inf. "The Kings Own,"

Munich.

2nd brig, of inf., Munich: 2nd regt. of inf. "Crown

Prince," Munich; 16th regt. of inf. "Grand-

Duke Ferdinand of Toscana," Passau; 1st bat.

of rifles, Straubing.

1st brig, of cav ., Munich : Regt. of Heavy Riders No. 1

" Prince Charles of Bavaria," Munich; Regt. of

Heavy Riders No. 2 "vac. Crown Prince Arch-

duke Rudolph of Austria," Landshut.

2nd division, Ausjsbur<j.

3rd brig, of inf., Augsburg: 3rd regt. of inf. " Prince

Charles of Bavaria," Augsburg; 20th regt. of

inf., Lindau.

4th brig, of inf., Ingolstadt: 10th regt. of inf.

"Prince Ludwig," Ingolstadt; 13th regt. of inf.

" Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria," Ingolstadt.

11th brig, of inf., Neu-Ulm: 12th regt. of inf.

"Prince Arnulf," Neu-Ulm; 15th regt. of inf.

"King Albert of Saxony," Neuburg.

2nd brig, of cav., Augsburg: 2nd regt. of Chevau-

legers "Taxis," Dillingen; 4th regt. of Chev-

aulegers " The King's Own," Augsburg.

1st brig, of field-art., Munich: 1st regt. of field-art.

"Prince-Regent Luitpold," Munich; 3rd regt. of field-art.

"Queen's Mother," Munich; 1st bat. of the train, Munich.

Attached to the corps are: 1st regt. of foot-art. "vac.

Bothmer," Ingolstadt; bat. of railway troops, Munich;

1st bat. of pioneers, Ingolstadt.

SECOND ROYAL BAVARIAN ARMY CORPS, WURZ-BURG

3rd division, Nuremberg.

5th brig, of inf.,Regensburg: 11th regt. of inf. "von

der Tann," Regensburg; 21st regt. of inf., Ftirth.

6th brig, of inf., Nuremberg: 14th regt. of inf.

" Hartmann," Nuremberg; 19th regt. of inf.

" King Humbert of Italy," Erlangen.

3rd brig, of cav., Nuremberg: 1st regt. of Chevau-

legers "Emperor Nicholas of Russia" Nurem-

berg; squadron of mounted rifles (Second army

corps); 6th regt. of Ohevaulegers "Prince Al-

brecht of Prussia," Bayreuth.

4th division, Wiirzburg.

7th brig, of inf., Wtirzburg: 5th regt. of inf. "Grand-

Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse," Bamberg; 9th

regt. of inf. "Wrede," Wiirzburg; 2nd bat. of

rifles, Aschaffenburg.

8th brig, of inf., Bayreuth: 6th regt. of inf. "Em-peror William, King of Prussia," Amberg; 7th

regt. of inf. " Prince Leopold," Bayreuth.

4th brig, of cav., Bamberg: 1st regt. of Uhlans

"Emperor William II., King of Prussia," Bam-

berg; 2nd regt. of Uhlans " The King's Own,"

Ansbach.

5th division, Landau.

9th brig, of inf., Landau: 17th regt. of inf. "Orff,"

Germersheim; 18th regt. of inf. " Prince Ludwig

Ferdinand," Landau.

10th brig, of inf., Metz: 4th regt. of inf. "King

William of Wiirtemberg," Metz; 8th regt. of

inf. " Pranckh," Metz.

12th brig, of inf., Zweibrlicken: 22nd regt. of inf.,

Zweibriicken; 23rd regt. of inf., Landau.

5th brig, of cav., Dieuze: 3rd regt. of Chevaulegers

"Duke Charles Theodore," Dieuze; 5th regt.

of Chevaulegers " Archduke Albrecht of Aus-

tria," Saargemiind.

2nd brig, of field-art., Wtirzburg: 2nd regt. of field-

art. "Horn," Wiirzburg; 4th regt. of field-art. "The

King's Own," Augsburg; 5th regt. of field-art., Landau;

2nd bat. of the train, Wiirzburg.

Attached to the corps are: 2nd regt. of foot-art.,

Metz; 2nd bat. of pioneers, Speyer.

48

The Kaiser holds his stunted left arm behind him while he discusses the war with his generals.

THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE GERMAN ARMY

Pjeussia's victorious campaigns during the years 1864

and 1866, and particularly the immense success

achieved by German arms during the war with France

(1870-71) have attracted the attention of the nations to

the conduct and operations on the field of the Prussian

and German armies in these campaigns. They have also

won for the name of von Moltke, chief of the German

general staff, a world-wide fame. But it was not only the

magnitude of the success which gained such renown for

the German army and its leaders; the unfailing certainty,

swiftness, vigor, and decisiveness of the warfare, too-ether

with the rapid and uninterrupted succession of brilliant

victories, also became objects of admiration and wonder,

and still continue to be so.

On the other side of the Atlantic, especially in the

United States of North America, the new home of so

many Germans, the glorious deeds of the German nation

under arms were hailed with the greatest enthusiasm.

But with the eagerness of all European countries to im-

prove upon their military institutions, after the Prussian-

German model, the United States was so happily sit-

uated in its geographical and political environment,

as to be free from European complications and able

to look complacently on the military projects of the Old

World. The events of the year 1898, however, in con-

nection with the war with Spain, so victorious to the

American nation in its results, but exacting so many sac-

rifices, with its lessons, admonitions, and consequences,

have altered the condition of affairs in the New World

to such an extent that a consideration of the organiza-

tion of the German general staff does not seem to be

untimely.

Like the entire German army, the German general

staff is organized on the basis and after the model of the

Prussian staff, the latter naturally forming the principal

part, only augmented by the general staffs of Bavaria,

Wilrtemberg, and Saxony. The Prussian general staff,

49

like the Prussian army, had a small beginning. It is the

lot of the general staff, which means the staff, the help, or

support of the general, according to the saying of the

prominent military author von Clausewitz, to " transform

the commanding general's ideas into orders, not only by

conveying them to the troops, but still more, by perfect-

ing details, and thus saving the general all unnecessary

trouble." Frederick the Great, in fighting his famous

battles of Rossbach and Leuthen with but 30,000 men,

had no need of a special staff. He gave his generals the

necessary orders either verbally or in writing, while he

personally selected and trained the few aides-de-camp

he needed. With the increase of the army the necessity

arose for a larger staff of well trained and qualified as-

sistants. Soon after the Seven Years' War, Frederick

the Great established the "quartermaster-general staff."

It consisted of one quartermaster-general, one quarter-

master, and fourteen quartermaster-lieutenants. Out of

this developed, in 1857, the Prussian general staff under

the guidance of judicious men, especially under the

direction of General von Moltke. The organization then

reached that importance and efficiency so fully demon-

strated in the great wars of 1864—66 and 1870-71.

The German general staff now consists in time of

peace of one chief of staff, 4 quartermasters-in-chief,

(lieutenant-generals), 30 colonels and generals-in-chief,

83 staff officers, and 91 captains,—in all 209 officers.

This, with an average of 20 officers serving in the capac-

ity of railroad commissioners, gives a total of 229 (225-

230) Prussian officers. Besides these, there are 24 Ba-

varian, 11 Saxon, and 7 Wiirtemberg (42) officers, or a

grand total of the general staff in time of peace of from

267 to "271 officers. Of this number, from 180 to 190 offi-

cers form the general staff of the army proper, 110 to 120

of whom belong to the general staff of the troops, while

from 70 to 80 are assigned to the great general staff.

In order to understand the number, classification, and

organization of this institution, it must be borne in mind

that in the Prussian and German army not the entire

staff of officers assigned to a general is identified with

the general staff. There is a distinction made between

the adjutancy and the general staff. It is the duty of

the adjutants to superintend the discharge of the entire

verbal and written regulations of the service in the dif-

ferent branches, including those who have charge of the

rosters, lists, petitions, and matters pertaining to the

reserve and to pensions. It is the task of the general

staff officers to attend to all matters relating to the move-

ment, quartering, engagement, and mobilizing of the

troops, and to warfare in general. This accounts for the

relatively small number of the general staff officers on

a peace footing of almost 560,000 noncommissioned offi-

cers and men.

The placing of the army on a war footing naturally

increases the number of the general staff officers. To

war

me,

the active German army at the beginning of the war of

1870-71 were assigned 200 general staff officers. The

number was increased, however, during the progress of

the war and to such an extent that the present number

of the general staff officers assigned to the active army

is about 250. This increased supply is secured by

the character of the entire organization and by the man-

ner of replenishing the general staff. Its nursery is the

war academy established at Berlin in the year 1810, and

designed to familiarize a number of officers belonging to

the different branches of the service, and at the same time

specially adapted to its requirements, with the higher

branches of military science; and by such means to en-

large and increase their knowledge of tactics, and to

educate and quicken their judgment of military affairs

at large. The schedule of instruction comprises statistics,

history, tactics, fortification, siege operations, sketch-

surveying and drawing, general staff service, and

training in travel, means of communication, civil govern-

ment, political economy, public and international law,

military sanitary law, general history, general and physi-

cal geography, mathematics, geodesy, natural philosophy,

chemistry, French and (optional) Russian, Polish, and

English.

Officers having shown practical proficiency during a

period of three years of service may apply for entrance

examination. The regular course lasts for three years.

During the yearly courses is sandwiched in some service

with other branches of troops. The final examination

decides the matter of the further employment of the offi-

cer either as instructor at one of the military schools, or

in the army's service as adjutant or on the general staff.

Those of superior mental and physical qualifications are

selected to serve on the latter, and are furthermore

trained and approved in some command under the gen-

eral staff, lasting for a period of from one to two years.

By this arrangement only the best of the selected officers

are taken into the general staff. Out of the 400 who

annually study at the war academy only 120 as a rule

take the final examination, of which only a proportion of

from six to ten are assigned to the general staff. A fur-

ther training takes place either on the great general

staff, or in the service connected with the commands' of

the troops (army corps and divisions), so that by an ex-

pedient change each officer of the general staff receives a

thorough education in every branch of the general staff's

work. By the yearly training travels and by employ-

ment at the great manoeuvres of the army, as well as by

theme compositions, literary lessons, and verbal recita-

tions, the efficiency of the general staff officer is con-

stantly fostered, tested, and approved. Of special benefit

has been the following out of the principle not to make

the general staff an exclusive body or caste, in which

the officer advances from the rank of lieutenant to that

of general. By the temporary transferring of the staff

50

officers to the front, a practical knowledge of the service is

continually maintained. By this method the eye and

ear of the officer are trained to the actual condition of

the army and to the wants of the common soldier. Bythis process the officer's ability to handle and direct the

troops is not founded upon routine knowledge merely,

but upon practical experience, fostered and stimulated

by study. According to this, every officer of the general

staff must have successfully trained and handled a com-

pany, a squadron, or a battery for the period of one year,

and that later on he must again have been intrusted with

the command of a battalion or a regiment, and with the

handling and the command of still larger bodies of

troops, before he advances to the higher grades of the

general staff, the rank of a chief, or that of a general.

By this arrangement a further gain is assured in that a

number of officers, academically and practically trained

in the duties of the general staff, are to be found attached

to the different branches of the service, and competent

to reenter in sufficient numbers the ranks of the general

staff in time of war.

This careful selection and training of the general staff

officers is necessitated by the importance and the extent

of the task falling to the lot of an efficient general staff.

To be fully equal to this task the organization of the

general staff is expediently fitted. Accordingly the lat-

ter is classified in the general staff proper and in the

great general staff.

It is the function of the general staff of the troops to

attend to all matters which formerly fell to the general

staff proper, namely, those touching the movement, quar-

tering, and engagement of the troops, and to the draw

ing up, working out and enforcing of orders for the stra-

tegical and tactical disposition of the commanders. For

this purpose are assigned— the administration of the

larger fortresses excepted—some general staff officers to

the divisions, one to each; to the army corps, two to each

corps, and three to each in war time. At the head of all

stands the chief of the army corps' general staff. This

officer is at the same time chief of the entire staff of the

general command (of the army corps) and is invested

with far-reaching authority in consequence of the great

responsibility connected with the position.

To the general staff of the army corps also falls the

laborious task of the mobilization of the army corps, the

drawing up of the plan of mobilization proper, the estab-

lishment and enforcement of which requires the coopera-

tion not only of the military but also of the civic

authorities and especially of those of the railroad bureau

in each corps district. But even with this, the functions

of the general staff of the troops do not stop. Other

things become incumbent on the same. It is of the ut-

most importance to prepare thoroughly in time of peace

for the mobilizing of the army in time of war, its transpor-

tation and assembling, in fact to prepare for all warlike

operations. Hence it is a matter of great moment to be

constantly and well informed of the political and military

affairs of other countries, with a knowledge of their

armies and fortified places. This includes the task of as-

certaining, if possible, all probable designs of the enemy,

to prepare and receive the best possible and most accu-

rate material in the way of maps, not only of Germany

but also those of other countries, necessary for all event-

ualities. That the fulfillment of these tasks requires a

continuous cultivation and application of the different

branches of military science in conjunction with their

auxiliary sciences is obvious. At the same time it is

easy to understand that the extent and heterogeneous-

ness of this labor call for a necessary division. Conse-

quently, just after the Napoleonic wars at the beginning

of this century, those officers not detailed to the com-

mand of the troops, but assigned to the Great Head-

quarters of the Prussian army, were massed at a central

place in Berlin. At this place the "Great General Staff"

in its different departments treats the various branches

falling to their lot.

The Central division treats of personal and administra-

tive affairs.

First division, of Russia and Scandinavia.

Second division, of Germany.

Third division, of France and Western Europe.

Fourth division, of the fortresses (Russia's excepted).

Fifth division, of Austria, Italy, and the Balkan

States.

Sixth division, of manoeuvres, training travels of the

general staff, and the affairs pertaining to the

war academy.

Seventh division, of the Russian fortresses.

Eighth division, of England, America, Asia, Africa,

and Australia.

These divisions, to each of which are detailed several

general staff officers and sub-officers in course of train-

ing, are directed by a chief (general or colonel). Several

sections are placed under the direction of a quarter-

master-in-chief (lieutenant-general). At the head of the

imperial survey is a quartermaster-in-chief who has

charge of the trigonometrical, topographical, and carto-

graphical divisions, the latter including also the chamber

containing the war-plans.

Only the sixth division and the historical division,

which includes the war records and the library, are under

the immediate supervision of the chief of the general

staff. In this are included the war academy, the railway

brigade, the bureau of the military railroads, and the

commission of the railway lines. In regard to the latter,

it is worth mentioning that the railroad division deals

with everything connected with the military transporta-

tion. For this purpose the imperial railroads (analogous

to the bureau of railroad districts) are divided into lines,

presided over, in time of peace, by line commissions.

51

These commissions comprise a general staff officer and

a railroad official of high rank, whose duty it is to be

constantly prepared for and ready to supervise the trans-

portation of the troops, and to provide the necessary

material and depot facilities for immediate use in time of

war. To secure the necessary scope for the fostering of

the military sciences and their auxiliaries, also to afford

specially gifted and talented officers a deeper study and

knowledge of the different military sciences, without

being interrupted by troop service, all these officers are

assigned to a special division. To this belong— besides

the historical division, and the library and the war

records— all the officers detailed to the survey of the

empire, namely to the trigonometrical, topographical,

and cartographical divisions. At the head of the entire

general staff, including the various organizations, stands

the chief of the army's general staff. The previous

statement will make it clear that this place can be

filled only by a man of superior qualification, including

thoroughness in all branches of military science, one

who combines with a long experience clearness and

acuteness of judgment and great will power, the genius

of a tactician and a strategist— the capacity to weigh

carefully and venture fearlessly—and who finally will

be able to foster and develop the supreme organization

of the general staff by his educational methods. A man,

with such gifts, and so situated, will be enabled to show

his best and highest qualifications and efficiency when

his mind is free to soar above all distractions and encum-

brances. Accordingly the chief of the general staff of

the Prussian and German army, while unincumbered in

his entire sphere of activity in peace and in war, is

subject only to the authority of the commander-in-chief,

the King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany, to whom

he submits immediately all projects, reports, and state-

ments, and whom he attends in war time at the army's

headquarters.

The general staff of the other great continental armies,

namely those of Russia, France, Austria, and Italy, is

organized like the Prussian-German staff, with the single

exception that they exceed Germany in the number of

its officers: Russia has 726, France 580, Austria 476 (in

war time 550), and Italy 253 general staff officers. In

none of these countries, however, is the chief of the

general staff invested with such absolute acting authority

as in Prussia. The latter country having taken the

important step, in wise anticipation and foresight, to

establish the institution of the general staff over the army

in the year 1821, has, therefore, precedence over the

other nations. It has, moreover, opened to the Prussian-

German general staff a career of development and

achievement, which has contributed in no inconspicuous

manner to the glorious deeds of war achieved by Prussia

and Germany.

THE TRAINING OF NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS

AND MEN

The organization and composition of the German army,

described in the preceding chapters, represent,

as it were, the framework of the picture which may

bo said to surround every German fit to bear arms; the

picture itself is seen in the vitality and strength of the

organization set forth. Organization and composition

create the preliminary conditions; the efficiency of the

army, however,— apart from mental and physical capac-

ity, will, in a great measure and under general condi-

tions, depend on the proper training of the troops. For

this reason, special attention is bestowed in the German

army upon the men's training. The superior officers of all

ranks work to this end with indomitable zeal, energy, and

faithfulness ; even the Emperor's watchful eyes are con-

stantly directed towards its fostering and development.

All branches of the service are governed by strict

rules. These govern the drill and fatigue duty, the

fencing, riding, driving, swimming, and shooting practice

of the soldiers, and also the time given to gymnastics.

Rules are laid down in a simple, clear, and concise form

for the different branches of the service,— the infantry,

cavalry, field and siege artillery, the pioneers, and the

railway and telegraph troops. The strict enforcement

of these rules is attended to by all superiors. They can-

not be altered in any way, save by the Emperor, who, in

the capacity of commander-in-chief, looks to their timely

enforcement and fitting development.

The enrolment of the recruit takes place usually at the

beginning of October. His training, after he has been

bathed, measured, weighed, and clothed, commences at

once, and his pedigree is taken down, with all other neces-

sary facts about him. The commander of the company,

rightlv called its chief or head, whether of a company,

52

squadron, or battery, then shoulders the responsibility

of seeing to the man's individual, and to the com-

pany's entire, training. He assigns this duty to the

lieutenant of the company. Under his personal and

constant guidance and direction the service is performed

according to a well-prepared schedule and in such a

manner that every detail receives the closest attention.

The individual training, which commences about this

time, takes place in sections of from twelve to sixteen

men and is looked after by a noncommissioned officer of

recruits, to whose assistance two or three privates of a

previous year are assigned. The exercises begin with-

out the use of a rifle and consist of light gymnastics.

They serve to evenly develop the body of the young,

often stiff and awkward, recruit, to harden his muscles,

to enable him to acquire a free and energetic use of his

limbs. This is preparatory to the recruit taking up the

subsequent and real drill, which consists of the proper

handling and use of the rifle and bayonet, and the vari-

ous gymnastic apparatus made use of in his training.

With the exercises on the drill-ground and in the

gymnasium, begins the instruction of the soldier in the

Gelande (a staked-off and specially-designed manoeuvre

ground). Here the recruit pursues his exercises, drills,

and other operations in order to gain the proper idea of

their warlike use and purpose.

By such means the soldier receives a training which

eminently fits him for all emergencies in the soldier's

real life. He is then carefully and minutely instructed

in what is likely to be new to him, namely, the use of

firearms. He learns the aiming drill, and how to hold,

carry, and use a rifle. This instruction is continued

throughout the first year, so that the recruit learns to be

familiar with his weapon ; how to take aim with it in all

positions of the body, and in every formation of ground

whereon he is drilled. In addition to this varied drill he

learns how to estimate distances.

Hand in hand with this practical training, goes instruc-

tion, beginning with the recruit's first day, in the moral

duties and obligations of the soldier. He has defined to

him the nature of his oath of fidelity to the colors, and

of other matters pertaining to a soldier's duties. This is

followed, in about three weeks after enrolment, by the

swearing in of the recruit. This solemn act takes place

after a preliminary church service in the presence of the

high officials of the garrison; at Berlin it takes place

under the eye of the Emperor. When the Emperor is

present he addresses the recruit to be sworn in, admon-

ishing him of his duties, reminding him of his pledge of

fidelity, and of the high military virtues of a soldier,

including piety, love of honor, and obedience.

The theoretical instruction covers all branches of the

service and is greatly facilitated by every man receiving

an illustrated book of instruction. The men without

means are furnished one at the expense of the company.

The book contains rules for the conduct of the soldier

on and off duty. Its contents are imparted by a non-

commissioned officer. The most important subjects,

however, are treated by a higher officer, especially those

touching the duties of a soldier in war time, the articles of

war, the knowledge and use of the rifle, the rules govern-

ing the aim of the rifle, and musketry in general. In

order not to forget details, and to make the soldier self-

dependent and well-adapted for regular service, instruc-

tion is given in mending and scouring. The proper

care of the body and the observation of all sanitary rules

are also made special subjects of instruction.

While the recruit is being thus trained, the advanced

training of the men belonging to the second year is pro-

ceeded with, and is generally directed by an older officer.

The musketry service and the exercises in distance meas-

urement are continued. The drill in the patrol service,

especially that of the patrol leaders, for the purpose of

reconnoitring the enemy, which is represented by op-

posing columns, is energetically followed. In connec-

tion with this, the training of the individual soldier is

improved upon by further drills and courses of gym-

nastics, also by additional theoretical instruction.

At the end of this period of training (generally four

months after the enlistment of the recruit), an inspection

of the older soldiers by the commander of the battalion

takes place. The inspection of the recruits, however, is

performed by the regimental commander, mostly in the

presence of the higher officials. This inspection tests

the soldier, in explicit form, in all branches of the ser-

vice, and in such a way that every individual's knowl-

edge is practically and theoretically vouched for.

After this, the recruit— in the capacity of a young

soldier— is mustered into the company according to his

height. Now the second period of training commences.

The recruit is instructed in company, in drill, and in en-

gagement manoeuvres; this takes place both on the drill-

ground and on the manoeuvre ground. The training is

personally superintended by the captain of the company,

and includes training in shooting, the most important part

of the service. The soldier's achievement in this line

is most important, and his proficiency decides, in great

measure, his future. Here, too, at the conclusion,, in-

spection by the regimental commander takes place, at

which the company is tested in the carrying out of

unexpected orders.

The recruit is now ready to receive his training in the

battalion, which usually lasts from four to five weeks.

The commander of the battalion is here himself the in-

structor, and directs and trains his four companies in the

various battalion dispositions and movements. In the

evolutions pertaining to the engagement drills he directs

all movements by his own orders.

To what extent these exercises have been successful,

and how they have served to make the battalion a vital

53

and energetic instrument ready to be used by the com-

mander in all emergencies in the field and for all mis-

sions, is again ascertained and verified by the inspecting

commander in presence of the chief of the brigade, divi-

sion, or corps, at the end of the time assigned to the

battalion instruction.

When the training in battalion drill is concluded, the

training in tactical matters ceases, and the drill-ground

is left. Onlv in the forenoons, when the battalion

presents itself for guard service and garrison duty,

are the exercises pertaining to garrison duty gone

through with. At the same time the carriage and

bearing of the individual soldier is approved anew and

tested by individual drill. The remainder of the time

from the middle of May to the middle of August is

used for musketry exercises, marching, drill, and picket

duty, in connection with the reconnoitring and patrol

service, and for exercises in the construction of rifle-pits.

During this time exercises on a larger scale take place

in marching, active fighting, and in advance guard-duty

by day and night.

Musketry service is especially cared for, good marks-

manship receiving the special notice of the Emperor.

The company of the army corps which shows the greatest

efficiency at the end of the year is distinguished by a

badge, which is fastened to the left coat sleeve, while

the captain of the victorious company is decorated with

the Order of the Red Eagle.

Special stress is laid upon this important branch of

military education, and captains of companies are held

solely responsible for the company's accurate marksman-

ship. The practice shooting at the target-butts, with

special tasks for each class, is followed by the training

on the manoeuvre ground. This begins with the shooting

by each individual soldier, at stationary, moving, and dis-

appearing objects, and at' a distance to be guessed at.

This practice is brought to a close by a shooting-drill

with bullets, in regular order of battle, and in formations

of companies and battalions, under special orders, at

defined targets in the manoeuvre ground.

In the meantime the exercises in gymnastics, and in

fencing and swimming, proceed with uninterrupted pro-

gress. The men are theoretically well-instructed about

their conduct on the march and during field engage-

ments, in quarters and in camp. Surgeons also give

necessary directions to the men as to the treatment

to pursue when one of their number is sunstruck or

wounded. Finally, the rules governing furloughs, and

all matters pertaining to the reserve and Landwehr, are

impressed on the mind of the soldier. This part of the

training time is concluded by an inspection in gymnas-

tics and in fencing. The test in swimming and in theo-

retical instruction is under the supervision of the regular

commander, as is also the inspection of the shooting on

the manoeuvre ground.

Generally about the middle of August the Fall ma-

noeuvres commence with regiment and brigade drills,

and are concluded by the manoeuvres of regiments,

brigades, divisions, and army corps, opposing each other.

Concurrently %vith the described course of training of

the infantry (the army's chief branch of service), the

training of the other arms of the service is conducted.

In the cavalry, the training on foot is supplemented

by exercises on horseback. The efficiency of the indi-

vidual rider is followed out with painstaking care and

the utmost zeal. This is done to perfect the rider

and enable him surely and easily to overcome every

obstacle he may meet ; he thus learns to ford lakes and

rivers, and, with perfect control of the horse, knows

how to handle his weapons— the sabre and lance— in

offence and defence against any adversary, either on

foot or horseback. This, of course, cannot be accom-

plished by a short service of two years. Hence a three

years' service in the cavalry and horse artillery is neces-

sary. This longer time of probation enables the cavalry

—which is equipped with the carbine for independent

work at the front and on the flanks of the army—to

receive the necessary training with the firearm for en-

gagements on foot.

In the artillery the training in gunnery is the main

point. To make this arm of the service equal to the task

which falls to its lot, it is of the utmost importance that

the guns reach their firing position over the most difficult

country with the greatest speed. This is done to enable

them to deploy quickly and accurately, and to open and

continue firing with absolute fearlessness and composure.

The high requirements of batteries and divisions of

artillery necessarily demand the most painstaking and

comprehensive training. Every single piece of ordnance is

brought into use and inspected in regard to its manning

and service, and as to its efficiency in action. Practice is

given in overcoming great obstacles, such as tapering

ditches, steep elevations, precipitous slopes, by every

single gun. The spirit to excel in gunnery is kindled to

its highest pitch by conferring marks of distinction on the

chief gunners, and by awarding shooting badges to those

noncommissioned officers and men of the company who

excel in marksmanship in the army corps. The cavalry

is likewise stimulated to the highest pitch of achievement

in shooting and drill by respective marks of distinction.

In these two arms of the service a scrutinizing inspec-

tion takes place by the higher commanders at the close

of the different periods of the training. This is con-

cluded by larger drills and manoeuvres of troops, in

which, at the end of the military year, infantry, cavalry,

artillery, and the special branches of the army take part.

Here the individual soldier becomes inured to exer-

tion and the exactions of warlike marches, made in deep

columns and in conjunction with cavalry and artillery.

He learns by experience the manner of fighting in

54

cooperation with other arms of the service; and how to

conform his conduct in active engagement, while, at the

same time, he makes use of and calls into exercise every

instruction and detail of training that has been imparted

to him. He acquaints himself alike with the ordinary

and the unaccustomed and severe tasks, with the lot of

the individual soldier on picket duty, directly following,

it may be, a most tiresome march or a galling engage-

ment. He finally learns the self-denial and restraint

exacted of every soldier, high or low, when unavoidable

difficulties arise at the assembling, the quartering, and

the feeding of the massed troops.

/With these warlike exercises and experiences the

training of the soldier is completed. He will victoriously

stand the test, if he, on his side, has taken advantage of

all opportunities, however exacting, and if his superiors

have succeeded in infusing in him the true martial

spirit. But, inasmuch as the tasks imposed on every

soldier in war time are so severe and far-reaching, ef-

fecting the highest efficiency on the part of the soldier,

the entire German army, after the well-tested model of

the Prussian army, recognized the training of the indi-

vidual as the paramount and fundamental principle of

success. Hence, all rules and efforts of the superiors

and commanders of all ranks are so directed as to

educate the individual soldier to the understanding of

the virtues of piety, love of honor, fidelity, obedience,

order, and punctuality, thus enhancing his readiness for

and efficiency in war. In this sense of the word, not

the schoolmaster, but the noncommissioned officer and

the officer of the German army have become the instruc-

tors of the nation under arms.

In accordance with the aforesaid, the force of non-

commissioned officers forms a most important part of the

German army.

It would be impossible, without the most faithful and

energetic activity on the part of the noncommissioned

officers together with the relatively small force of higher

officers, which is not materially increased in war-time, to

reach the necessary goal in the training and education

of the privates. The often heard "hue and cry" in the

ranks of the anti-national parties about occasional cases

of ill-treatment in the army will give way before the

cooler judgment of every sensible person. In sober,

dispassionate reasoning they will not underestimate

the extent of character, self-restraint, and thorough

knowledge required of the noncommissioned officer, still

in the bloom of youth (from 20 to 30 years old), neces-

sary to adequately fit him for the responsible task, made

doubly difficult owing to the great dignity and tact which

he must show in his daily contact with subordinates, a

task which exacts no small measure of versatility in

every department of the service.

Hence the utmost care is devoted to the training of

the noncommissioned officers. The efficiency of the

captain of the company is rightly measured by his capacity

to replenish his body of noncommissioned officers with

excellent material and to raise it to the highest efficiency.

The noncommissioned officers are therefore instructed

especially, by the chief of the company, in all branches

of the service. They are trained in their general and

special functions, and employed, according to their

competency, for the delivery of verbal and written

orders in the field service or in engagements. They are

intrusted with written and verbal reports and orders,

and are also educated and instructed in commanding

and directing the firing line during all phases of the

engagement.

Side by side with the schools of the company, in which,

during the winter months, the soldiers in need of assist-

ance in reading and writing, especially those not con-

versant with the German language, are instructed, is the

regimental or "capitulanten" school, which looks after

the advanced instruction in every regiment, from October

until April. Geography and history, orthography and

German composition, arithmetic in proper form and di-

mension, are taught by officers and hired civic teachers.

By instruction in civil service and by the working out of

written orders and reports, the "capitulanten" and non-

commissioned officers are prepared in every direction.

The instruction is for the purpose of fitting them, inde-

pendently, for all the functions of the service, and also of

preparing them for minor offices of the government or

corporations, which they can claim after leaving the

military service.

To facilitate the entrance into such offices, every non-

commissioned officer receives, after a service of twelve

years (that is, after meeting all legal requirements for a

claim to a minor civil office), a bounty of 1,000 marks.

It is to be hoped that the future of those noncommis-

sioned officers who have proved faithful in the military

service will be further secured by an additional increase

of salary and other emoluments.

With this brief consideration regarding the matter of

providing for the noncommissioned officers, the subject

of the training and education of the noncommissioned

officers and men is exhaustively treated. It is now only

left to dwell somewhat longer on the very important

question of the training of the officers— the commanders

of the German army.

55

The Imperial Guard passing in review before Emperor William. At the left of the Kaiser is General Lowenfeldt and at the

extreme right General von Buelow. The latter was the first general to fall

THE TRAINING OF THE COMMANDERS

TACTICAL DUTIES AND TRAINING IN LONG DISTANCE

RIDES, MANOEUVRES, TRAVELS OF THE GENE-

RAL STAFF AND THE WAR-GAME

ITwas the dictum of that famous master of battles,

Napoleon I, that to command a superior force at a

given point, and at the critical moment of the fight, meant

victory. He will be victorious who is equal to the occa-

sion, grasping the opportunity by a brilliant use of

higher tactics, called by Bonaparte, la grunde tactiljut.

But what unusual tasks does the fulfillment of this duty

entail! What avails the greatest generalship or the

highest strategy, when the hand which should guide the

vital instrument, the army, in a thorough— nay, mas-

terly— manner, is missing! History is replete with in-

stances of the story that even well-disciplined and brave

armies have had to succumb to the superior leadership of

the enemy.

With an army in rags and half-starved, but inspired

by patriotic fervor, Napoleon Bonaparte laid the founda-

tion of his military fame by the genius he displayed in

the campaigns of 171)6-1797 in Italy, paving for himself

the road to the imperial throne of France. After the

patriotic fire was extinguished and the old veteran troops

and the efficient and experienced officers had succumbed

in the direful war with Russia in 1812, even Bonaparte's

brilliant strategical talent, which once more shone forth

with great lustre in his defensive campaign of the year

1814, could not avert his downfall. The master suc-

cumbed, because the sword he wielded was improperly

forged ; because the army, which embraced a hundred

thousand young conscripts, was not equal to the task.

The great wars of 1806 and of 1870-1871 also fully dem-

onstrated that the greatest bravery displayed in the field

cannot make good the blunders committed in the hand-

ding and leading of the troops. Both the Austrian

and French armies succumbed to the German forces,

not alone because of the more efficient training of

their officers'and men. but in consequence of the better

56

organization and preeminently superior generalship of

the Prussian and German armies. This superiority is

not due, however, to an ingenious idea rising flash-

like in the mind of the commander-in-ohief ; the suc-

cess depends on the proper execution of the idea.

Only that commander can expect success who is sure

of his orders being promptly and accurately executed.

To insure the latter, the general staff must understand

not only how to transform the commander's ideas into

practical commands, but every leader, from the gen-

eral down to the youngest officer, must be able to

thoroughly grasp the intention and meaning of all

orders issued. He must be trained and accustomed

to execute every order with perfect obedience and

never-failing promptitude. He must at the same time

strive to overcome, by the aid of all human possibili-

ties, every difficulty that blocks his progress. With

an iron will, nay, even by staking his own life on

the fulfillment of his duty, must he see that the aim

and purpose of the order are secured. Under no cir-

cumstances, in executing the order, must he depart

from its explicit mandate, even when a change in the

situation would seem to call for the exercise of private

judgment.

To attain the acme of absolute obedience, of unflao--

ging energy and resolution, combined with responsible

and spontaneous acting, the training, schooling, and

education of the officers of all ranks are objects of con-

cern in the German army.

For the minor engagements and in the advance-

guard drills, beginning with company drills and pro-

gressing into battalion and regimental drills on the

manoeuvre grounds, a specific scheme of war is laid

out by two parties, each opposing the other. The

commanders on both sides, namely, the lieutenants,

captains, and staff officers, receive verbal or written

orders directing them to make the necessary dispo-

sition thereof, the soundness, accuracy, and expediency

of which are tested. The execution is also thor-

oughly supervised and minutely commented upon by

the commanding officer at the close of the exercises.

The greatest stress is laid upon the nature, form,

and character of the order issued. It must have the

qualities of military brevity, precision, clearness, and

perspicuity in order to be fully understood. This,

however, will not alone suffice. During the military

exercise special attention is bestowed upon and the

greatest efforts are made to see that the orders are

issued from the proper place, excluding all expediences

which do not conform with the rules of war. It occasion-

ally happens in battle that all commanders, even the regi-

mental commander, are put hors de combat when they,

without stringent necessity, disobey the rules and expose

themselves on horseback at the outset of the fight or on

the firing line.

Besides these continual exercises for the training of

the higher commanders, a special course of training for

the officers of inferior rank, namely, the captains and

lieutenants, is held annually in every regiment. By

this course even the youngest officer receives a chance

to be independently tested and approved in the solving

of tactical problems. The tasks, together with those

issued to the opposing forces, are handed in written

form to the lieutenants by the battalion commanders,

and to the captains by the regimental commanders.

A proportionate number of troops, including, if pos-

sible, some detachments of other branches of the ser-

vice corresponding with the garrison's strength, are

placed at the disposal of each officer. This has special

reference to the older officers, for whom these so-

called "practical duties of the officer" (other than

the theoretical duties, described later on ) not only

serve as drills, but also as tests of their ability to

advance to higher positions. The advance to these

higher positions is conditioned by the efficiency and

qualifications shown at these exercises. For this pur-

pose, namely, to awaken keen perception, judgment,

tactical perspicuity, presence of mind, and resolution

on the part of the officers, emergency or surprising

situations are resorted to in the form of unexpected

reinforcements of their own columns or of those of the

enemy. By this method of procedure each respective

commander is given an opportunity to exemplify the

qualifications requisite for any and every emergency.

When these exercises are of an important nature, those

officers of the battalion and the regiment who are off

duty attend as spectators. At the conclusion, the offi-

cer who has been conducting these exercises assembles

about him the officers who have been executing his

commands and with them he enters upon a discussion

of the various exercises in which they have been en-

gaged. This is followed by an additional comment by

the higher officers present, including the regimental,

brigade, and division commanders, upon the more diffi-

cult tasks performed. This is done for the purpose of

further accentuating the difficulties involved in these

essentially instructive tactical duties. Finally, every one

of the respective officers is requested to give a minute

report of the execution of his order— either by a sketch

made with colored pencil on a report map, giving a

minute description of the manoeuvre-ground and the en-

gaged troops, or by a detailed written report containing

an appropriate skeleton-sketch. All these matters are

commented upon in written form by the superior officers

present.

On a larger scale, but for a similar purpose, namely,

to train officers of a higher rank than the battalion

commanders in the leading of the troops, and also to

test their qualification, exercises are prepared for the

troops in the manoeuvre drills. These manoeuvres differ

only in the number of the troops employed and in

the character of the duties involved. Their form and

nature, improved upon by a process of development in

the Prussian army during a period of one hundred

and fifty years, has become a standard and a model

in the German army. The origin of the manoeuvres

can be traced back to the drills by which Frederick the

Great prepared his small army for the great task before

57

them. Frederick's father, the "soldier king" Frederick

William I, aided in a most efficient way by Prince Leo-

pold of Anhalt-Dessau (the Old Dessauer), laid the

foundation for a most systematic training of the troops

in all details, including a rigid discipline. The King

left to his great successor on the throne an army which

needed only a more elaborate training in tactical matters

and the manifestation of intellectual genius on the part

of the commanders to make it unequaled. This prob-

lem was brilliantly solved by the king's great son,

Frederick II. On the drill-grounds near Potsdam,

Spandau, and Berlin, the King personally drilled his

troops during the years 1745-1756. The exercises

lasted about twelve days each. With these well-disci-

plined troops, Frederick II victoriously resisted half of

Europe in the Seven Years' War. After the King had

accomplished his object and secured peace for his do-

minions, the drill-grounds were no longer barred to

the public but were opened to spectators, even to those

representing foreign armies. This custom has been

retained and is in vogue at the present time. After

the custom pursued by the German army, the Great

Powers send representatives to the manoeuvres of the

European armies. Those of the German army, are

often personally attended by the sovereigns of Russia,

Austria, and Italy. These larger drills begin in Septem-

ber with smaller so-called "detachment" drills under

the leadership of the brigade commander, preceded by-

exercises which take place in the formation of regiments

and brigades of different arms on the manoeuvre-grounds,

and which last for several days. To those detachments

a brigade of infantry is assigned, further augmented by

one or two regiments of cavalry, in addition to one

regiment of artillery and some columns of pioneers

and telegraph troops. Formed into two sections

—

called "detachments"—these mixed troops drill, oppos-

ing each other, for four or five days. In this under-

taking they follow out first, the "general idea," which

defines an ordinary war status, and secondly, the "spe-

cific idea," by which special daily tasks are assigned

to each section. After a march in warlike array, or

after the taking and the subsequent fortifying of a

captured position, an engagement ensues which de-

termines with which side the victory rests. This is

followed by both parties placing pickets for the pro-

tection of their respective positions. These outposts

bivouac, while the other troops take up their regular

quarters, but are subject to "alarms," that is to a call

to arms over night.

The "detachment" or brigade drills are followed by

drills of the divisions, at which the divisions, like the

brigades, oppose each other for from four to five days,

under the leadership of the division commanders. In

some cases the commander assembles his entire division

and leads it personally into an engagement with the

enemy, which is distinguished for this purpose by marked

flags.

The division manoeuvres are succeeded by those of the

army corps, at which the divisions, under the leadership

of the general in command, operate one against the other,

and at which, generally on a special day, the entire army

corps is directed against an enemy, indicated in some

special manner.

In all these exercises the bearing and behavior of the

troops on the march and in the engagements, and their

conduct when bivouaced and on picket-duty, are closely

scrutinized and made the subject of strict supervision.

The paramount object of the exercises, however, is the

training of the commanders. The detachment drills

afford ample opportunity to the regimental commanders

and the older staff officers of all arms to receive a proper

training in commanding mixed troops, while the younger

staff officers are thus afforded a good training in picket

and miscellaneous duty. The division and corps ma-

noeuvres serve for the purpose of training the older regi-

mental and brigade commanders, especially the division

commanders, in the duties falling to their lot in time

of war. They likewise serve to improve their qualifi-

cations and to increase and test their efficiency. At the

conclusion of these various exercises the mounted officers

are gathered around the commander, for the time being

the commander-in-chief, at the signal "officers' call," for

the purpose of a mutual criticism. As at the previously

described lesser exercises, the respective duties and their

execution are commented on, including the assigned tasks.

The situation at the end of the engagement is clearly de-

fined, while new manoeuvres for the day following are

planned. The newly assigned commanders have to issue

the necessary orders at once. The formal withdrawing of

the opposing force, including the placing of pickets,

closes the day's drill. Underlying these exercises, es-

pecially the large manoeuvres with their important aims

and purposes, is the fundamental principle that the

commander shall not be influenced in the least in the

fulfillment of his tasks, but be accorded perfect free-

dom of action. On the other hand, the highest value

is attached to the correct, independent, and resolute

acting of the commanding officers, and to their ac-

curate knowledge of the manoeuvre-ground and the

designs and movements of the enemy, as well as to the

proper tactical employment of the different troops

engaged.

According to the important nature of these larger

drills, which exercise a great influence on the army at

large, and their significance as they affect the military

career of the higher officers, special pains are taken

to place the judgment and decision of the officers who

command the drills and manoeuvres on a sound and im-

partial basis. The commander cannot at the same time

attend to the advance guard, the bulk of the army, and

the flanking columns. He cannot watch with a critical

eye the center and the wings of the battle line, neither

can he superintend the operations which take place on

picket duty both by day and by night. Further, and

chiefly, the fact has to be taken into consideration

that the success of all these warlike exercises can be

estimated only, as they exclude, as a matter of course,

the use of bullets and thrusting weapons, and allow

58

only bloodless bayonet attacks and cavalry charges.

Inasmuch as by this procedure the effect of the warfare

does not become apparent by actual losses, the decision

becomes dependent on purely conjectural methods.

On this account, there are attached to the commander's

staff assistants in the capacity of referees. These ref-

erees at the smaller drills are captains and staff officers,

while at the larger manoeuvres generals are intrusted

with this duty. The referees conjecture the effect of

the infantry and artillery fire, direct the attention of

both parties to the same, and regulate, if necessary,

the retreat of one side or the other. The referees are

also invested with authority to declare entire columns of

troops partially or totally disabled, and to decide, while

taking all circumstances into consideration, the success

or failure of the attacks made by infantry and cavalry.

The troops have to submit without protest to the deci-

sion of the referees, who are recognized by a white sash

worn around the coat sleeve. The arbitrators inform

the commanders on both sides of the decisions made,

while at the same time they personally report all details

to the chief commander. The reports are subjected to

exhaustive discussion and criticism, which take place at

the conclusion of the exercises. Of special importance,

naturally, is the function of the referees at the great

manoeuvres, at which several army corps oppose each

other, and the extent of the fighting lines is measured

by miles.

The origin of these great manoeuvres, formerly called

"King's manoeuvres," and now known by the name of

the "Emperor's manoeuvres," is to be traced back to the

great reviews at which Frederick the Great severely

tested the skill of the army corps of the different prov-

inces. Following his illustrious example, the Prussian

King held annually a great review of one of the pro-

vincial army corps, in connection with drills lasting

several days and called "King's manoeuvres." Thecorps of the Guards, stationed at Berlin and Potsdam,

did not take part in these exercises, however, as it was

subject to the constant surveillance and inspection of

the Prussian King.

Since the years 1866 and 1870-1871 the Prussian-

German army has gradually risen from a strength of

fifteen to nineteen, and finally to twenty-three army

corps, and the inspection of one army corps, occurring

annually, became insufficient. The practice in vogue

to-day is to detail each year from two to four army

corps to these great manoeuvres. By this method a

desirable succession is established which, comprising a

period of seven to eight years, enables the commander-

in-chief to test the entire German army in its training

and readiness for war.

This privilege, accorded to the German Emperor by

the imperial constitution, was exercised with unfalter-

ing faithfulness by the old Emperor, William I, and

practiced up to the time of his demise. Emperor Wil-

liam II has followed the illustrious example with a

commendable energy, which is crowned by the best

results. The "Emperor's manoeuvres," taking place

every September, are planned in the most elaborate

manner and with the utmost care by the chief of the

army's general staff. The outlines are tested and ap-

proved by the Emperor.

The manoeuvres are ushered in by the so-called "Em-peror's parade or review," which his Majesty orders in

the case of each army corps detailed to take part in them.

The scheme calls for methodized railway transporta-

tion, and a concentration of the different army corps in

the direction of the territory designed for the manoeuvres

is effected. War-marches toward the landing-point of

the two armies opposing each other are instrumental

in assembling the army for these manoeuvres. The

assembling and advance of the army are covered by

cavalry divisions, each from two to three brigades

(or from twenty to thirty squadrons) strong, and under

the leadership of specially selected commanders. These

meet at different points some days previous. Thecavalry divisions perform the tasks falling to their

lot in war time, namely, of veiling the army's ad-

vance, establishing its lines of contact with the enemy,

and covering the flanks of the army, while, at the

proper time, they have to appear in the battle, often

deciding the fate of the day by momentous charges.

These charges are often led by the Emperor personally,

who also assumes command of the army, changing

sides between the two parties often even on the same

day.

The carrying out of these manoeuvres corresponds

with that of the corps manoeuvres previously described,

with the one exception that they are conducted on a

larger scale. The Emperor, who shows a special in-

terest in the exercises, after hearing the reports of

the chiefs of the general staff and of the referees, as-

sumes the function of final critic. Surrounded by his

generals and commanders, his presence lends a signifi-

cance to the manoeuvres. This is further enhanced by

the regular attendance of the German Empress, of the

German and other sovereigns and princes, likewise bythe representatives of foreign armies. The exercises

are also of value in a political aspect, since, by means

of the festivities arranged by the cities and prov-

inces in connection with the manoeuvres, the GermanEmperor and Empress come into personal contact

with all classes of the German people. In a military

sense, however, the manoeuvres are of the utmost im-

portance.

The efficiency of the army's general staff, employed

almost in its entirety, is tested in a most comprehensive

manner. The capacity of the railroads is often taxed

to the utmost, and the supplying of the troops with

provisions from established military depots gives ample

opportunity for the commissariat to prove its efficiency.

The entire sanitary department of the army, including

the field hospital service, likewise receives a most rigid

test at these manoeuvres. In addition, there are called

into action the telegraph and balloon troops, and the

corps charged with the employment and construction

in the field of military signals, field bridges, military

59

railroads, and fortifications of every description. The

fact that all important technical, tactical, and strategical

questions involved in the manoeuvres become subject to

the review and approval of the Emperor and the higher

generals of the army, fully demonstrates the importance

attained by the "Emperor's manoeuvres." It would,

therefore, be in keeping with the military ideal if the

entire German army could be concentrated annually in

groups of several army corps each stationed respectively

in the North, South, East, and West of the empire.

By this procedure an opportunity would be afforded

to the entire general staff, and also to all commanders

up to the commanding general and army inspector,

to practice warfare on a large scale, by one entire

army operating against another. The enormous expense

necessitated by such an undertaking presents, however,

insurmountable barriers. For the purpose of enabling

the general staff officers, whose ranks supply the greater

part of the higher commanders, to practice annually

warfare on a large scale, even without the employment

of troops, and to improve upon the training of the

officers in the functions necessary for the operation of

the army, a scheme of travel for the general staff is

instituted.

These travels are undertaken, generally in the sum-

mer preceding the manoeuvres, by the officers of the

great general staff, and are superintended by the chief

of the army's general staff. They are performed by two

separate parties, the ranks of which, from the commander

of an entire army down to the commanders of the army

corps and divisions, including the cavalry divisions with

their respective staff, are filled by general staff officers,

according to rank and age. All preliminary work for

the concentration of the army is prepared in an explicit

and warlike manner by the chief of the general staff,

who, in the capacity of commander-in-chief, defines the

general war scheme, and gives special directions to every

higher commander, assigning at the same time to each

one the duties involved in the operations. The plan of

operation, the mapped out railroad and march routes,

the necessary orders for the assembling of the army,

and the survey of the troops' quartering, are thoroughly

and carefully treated in all their details, subject, how-

ever, to the approval of the higher commander. After

this, the latter, in company with all officers, repair to

grounds selected for the operations. Here, by means of

marching orders, marked and recorded in a special

book, and by the instructions designed to cover the

engagement, the necessary measures and movements

are discussed from day to day. At the conclusion, the

probable decision of the final encounter in the battle

and of the entire operations are agreed upon by the

higher commander. This decision is based on all the pre-

ceding directions, movements, dispositions, and orders,

taking into consideration at the same time all circum-

stances, such as the manoeuvre territory and also the

partial success of the preceding day.

What amount of experience, practice, and instruc-

tion is entailed in such travels of the general staff, will

become evident by this outline, especially when it is

borne in mind that higher commissioners and surgeons

are detailed to attend these exercises with their re-

spective orders. A final and thorough discussion of all

the assigned tasks and the entire course of the operations

by the general staff, in the presence of the assembled

participants, winds up the exercise.

Travels of a similar character, only on a smaller scale,

take place annually for the purpose of training the gen-

eral staff of the troops, and are superintended by the chief

of the army corps' general staff.

Aside from the entire force of the corps staff, staff

officers, and captains and lieutenants of all branches of

the service are detailed to make these travels and are

intrusted with appropriate tasks, in order to train them

efficiently for the higher commands.

The travels of the general staff preeminently serve

the purpose of exercising the officers of this grade in the

tasks which have to be performed in the field with the

utmost accuracy, and also of training them for their

future duties as commanders. At the same time it is

obvious that the officers of the different branches of the

service are in need of further training, in order to pre-

pare them for the duties of higher positions, and there-

fore more time has to be accorded them than the drills

during the summer months and the fall manoeuvres

allow.

For this purpose the so-called "travels for tactical

training" and long distance rides are designed. These

are performed under the supervision of the commanders of

the troops (regimental commanders and independent

battalion commanders), and generally take place in the

fall, at the conclusion of the manoeuvres, and last till

the following spring. Their tasks, as a rule, do not

exceed the scope accorded to the detachment (brigade)

exercises, which were described as introductory to the

larger fall drills.

The momentous duties falling to the lot of the cavalry

divisions in war time, namely, to veil the deployment

and to cover the front and flanks of the army, require,

obviously, a special preparation on the part of the assigned

commanders and sub-commanders. For this purpose

specific exercises are ordered annually, which are exe-

cuted by cavalry and artillery officers, and are called

"travels for the cavalry's training." These travels are

undertaken over well-defined and previously laid out

routes, and resemble, in their plan and execution, the

travels of the general staff, that is, the exercises without

the employment of troops.

Nor are the great importance and decisive effects

of feats of horsemanship achieved by some cavalry offi-

cers to be underestimated. Mounted on fleet horses

and riding through swamps, rivers, woods, and over

mountains, by day or by night, they establish connec-

tion between far separated army columns, while at the

same time they convey important orders or bring back

valuable reports and information about the traversed ter-

ritory, which bear witness to keen observation and cor-

rect military judgment on the part of the officer.

60

In order to find out and train officers best adapted for

this task, long distance rides take place annually in

every army corps, according to a special decree of the

Emperor. In these tasks, assigned by the generals in

command, the staff officers, and captains and lieutenants

of cavalry take part. The officer who wins distinction

in these long distance rides is rewarded by a prize, which

is presented by the Emperor to the successful rider in

every army corps.

The careful and elaborate training of the German

officer is, however, not limited to the practical exercises

hitherto described. The winter months are made use

of diligently to further the officers' instruction and

culture in the science of war. In the first place the

"theoretical problems," which have to be solved by

the first and second lieutenants every winter, serve

for this purpose. They are generally assigned by the

battalion commander, according to the age and qualifica-

tions of the officer, and are selected to incite individual

study in all branches of knowledge and investigation.

These so-called " winter tasks " are thoroughly criticized

in writing by the battalion commander, and afterward

by the regimental commander. The best exercises are

submitted for further approval to the higher comman-

ders, including the general commanding the army corps,

and are thoroughly tested and duly commented upon

by the latter. By this method, talented and industrious

officers receive an opportunity which is sometimes of

great importance, to gain the attention of their superiors,

and their favorable notice.

Probably in no calling is the gift of free, clear, and

emphatic address of more significance than in that of

officers. To make them equal to this task and to develop

the necessary faculties to the utmost, lectures are given

every one or two weeks during the winter months, at

which officers of all grades attend. These lectures are

orally delivered, not read from manuscript, by older

members of the military profession, captains and staff

officers. These discourses are known as "garrison lec-

tures" at larger places, and are attended by all the

garrison officers. The themes are either self-chosen or

are assigned by the commanders. They treat on all

branches of science, giving preference, of course, to the

science of war.

The oldest and largest gathering for the purpose of pro-

moting military science by a regular lecture course, is the

"military society" at Berlin. Having been in existence

for over one hundred years, this society summons the offi-

cers, especially the older ones of the Berlin garrison, to

a monthly lecture. This lecture is usually delivered bya general or a staff officer and is attended by the highest

generals and even princes, very often, indeed, by the

Emperor himself.

With the previously described exercises and lectures

the methods of training the officers are not entirely

exhausted. The military drills may approximately rep-

resent war in time of peace by means of their ingenious

design and exactions, but, on the other hand, they never

can fully set forth the stern picture of war. The effect

of the clash of weapons and the momentous results of

the conflict, achieved often by heroic bravery, daring

prowess, and burning enthusiasm, are missing. While

these great factors and momentous occasions cannot be

realized in time of peace, there are, on the other hand,

faculties, which can be developed and improved upon,

nay, almost brought to the goal of perfection, at an

opportune time. These are a quick and correct read-

ing of maps and plans, expertness in drawing up dis-

positions and orders which have to combine military

brevity with great distinctness in every detail, at the

same time avoiding all superfluous verbiage. The offi-

cers in training must further exemplify the possession

of a fundamental knowledge of the tactical use of all

arms, with reference to their proper employment in the

field.

With a due recognition of the above facts and with

a view to further improve the tactical training of the

officers, an exercise has been introduced in the Germanarmy which is called "the war-game." This exercise

was invented by a Prussian officer about sixty years ago,

and since then has been gradually improved upon to

such an extent that as a medium of instruction, it is in

vogue, not only in the German army, but in those of

foreign nations.

The game is based on the following principles : On a

large board, manoeuvres, consisting of marches, engage-

ments, and picket-drills, are executed with small colored

figures, or checkers, by which the troops are represented.

Those taking part in the play are divided in two sections.

The different parts are assigned to the commanders and

sub-commanders, and, suiting the circumstances, down to

the captains of companies, squadrons, or batteries. This

war-game embraces the manoeuvres and travels of the

general staff. The higher commander lays down first, the

"general idea," designing the war scheme at large, and

secondly, the special ideas, according to which he assigns

the respective tasks to the commanders of both parties.

As at the manoeuvres and the travels of the general staff,

all arrangements, covering the dispositions and orders

pertaining to the railroad transportation, the quartering

and marching of the troops, and their engagement, are

carefully perfected in a military manner. After this

preparatory work is finished, tested, and discussed by the

higher commander, the play commences on the board.

The diagram is traced out on a scale of 1:12500, or

1 :6250, showing all details important in military service.

The diagram is sometimes executed in the form of relievo

maps. As soon as the order for the movement of the

troops, their transportation and marching is given (these

operations being explained at the outset on maps giving

a general view), the checkers representing the troops come

into play. These checkers are distinguished by different

colors, generally blue and red, and are used on the board

accordingly.

The different branches of the service and the tactical

unities of the troops are marked by forms and signs in a

way that skirmish lines, companies, battalions, squadrons,

and batteries are easily recognized. The position of

61

pickets, quarters, bivouacs, marching columns, with the

advance and rear guards, and detached bodies of troops

on both sides of the army, are minutely represented

on the board by an adequate number of checkers. The

necessary orders are given on the spot, either verbally

or in writing, and, at the proper time, all reports of

a more important nature are entered with military pre-

cision on report maps. The movements of the troops,

computed accurately by time and space, also by the

rate of travel common to the different branches of

the service, are pointed out by corresponding moves of

the checkers. The following will exemplify the preced-

ing statement : The higher commander, previous to the

advance of the army, despatches, early in the morning, a

patrol, under the lead of a cavalry officer, for the purpose

of reconnoitring the enemy. The time of the officer's de-

parture is written down, together with the direction which

he is to take, and also the time in which he can reach

the assigned point of his route on the manoeuvre ground,

from which he can overlook and watch the enemy. The

time at which the report of the patrol officer will reach

the higher commander, and how far the latter has ad-

vanced with his marching columns by this time, are also

reckoned. Again the higher commander consults his

watch and accurately ascertains, by the aid of his assist-

ants, the lapse of time between giving his final orders

and the receipt and execution of the same by the troops.

By this method of procedure the very minute is ascer-

tained when the troops will have been enabled to reach the

proper point for entering upon an engagement with the

enemy. According to this plan and method, the checkers

representing the troops are put in order or placed on the

proper squares on the board, corresponding with the

given dispositions and orders.

At the beginning of the game the checkers are moved

while hidden from view. The higher commander dis-

cusses the game with the competitors in a way that each

can watch only his own troops. At the moment, how-

ever, that the movements come into a common range of

sight, the checker board is uncovered, while the exercise

is brought to an issue, adhering throughout to a de-

tailed and warlike consideration of the situation. Every

offensive and defensive move is accurately measured

according to time and space. The effect of the weapons

is judged and measured as at the manoeuvres ; all

attacks are decided by the higher commander and his

impartial referees. To allow some scope to moral in-

fluence and the fortune of war (other chances being

even), the ultimate decision is sometimes determined

by the use of the dice-box. This method of arriving

at a decision, formerly more in vogue than at the

present time, was obviously instrumental in giving the

name of "war-game" to these exercises, so peculiar in

their nature. The earnest, practical character of the game

will be evident from the account here given. The

great, fervid zeal which permeates the German army in

the fulfilling of its duties, is reflected also in the manner

of performing this branch of the training. It is no un-

common occurence, to find, even in the dead of night,

new reports and orders issued touching the situations

of the game to be played on the next evening. These

are sent to the lower commanders by their superior

officers, asking for an immediate drawing up of dis-

positions or orders, to be returned in written form by

the bearers.

That the exercise cannot be performed in its entirety,

while limited to a few hours play of a winter evening, is

obvious. It often thus happens that several evenings

are required to play the game. It will be understood

that the duration of the game depends more or less on

the character of the plot and the necessary scope accorded

for its solution. In this respect a distinction may

be made between tactical, strategical, and siege war-

games, according to the peculiar nature of the exer-

cises, defined either by the engagement of smaller

or larger detachments up to brigades, divisions, and

army corps, or by a battle between an army corps and

a whole army or by the assault upon a fortress and its

defence.

Of the lesser exercises, superintended by the battalion

commanders, junior officers, down to the youngest lieu-

tenant, are employed, while the exercises on a larger

scale, held under the eyes of the regimental and brigade

commanders, are participated in by the older officers and

staff officers. In the exercises of the army corps .and

armies, however, the general staff and higher comman-

ders take an interesting part. Frequently the officers of

the neighboring garrisons are called together at the head-

quarters of the division commanders and of the general

in command for the purpose of playing a war-game.

The exercises which take place at the garrisons of Pots-

dam and Berlin in the presence of the Emperor, who often

joins in the game, are played on a large scale. The fore-

going illustrates the value set upon these exercises.

The discussions evoked by the game and touching im-

portant tactical problems, as well as the instructive com-

ments of the higher commander during its progress and

at its finish, give enhanced interest to it and to the

players. The foregoing characteristics of the game

will verify the fact that the proper and expedient

management of these exercises is beset with great

difficulties, requiring a large amount of military science

and knowledge, combined with a great deal of per-

ception, foresight, and mental versatility, in order to

impart to the game an increasingly exciting, interest-

ing, and instructive fervor. At the same time, the

higher commander, while superintending the progress

of the game, is afforded an opportunity of developing

and exemplifying his military qualifications. The ex-

ercises thus serve the purpose of preparing the higher

commanders for the task which falls to their lot at the

larger drills and manoeuvres. The war-games resemble

in character and execution the travels of the general

staff and the manoeuvres. They supplement them,

though most expediently, without causing any expense

worth mentioning to the government or to the various

bodies of officers, or without creating any errors or mis-

takes, which eventually have to be made good by the

62

exertion and effort of the troops. They are instrumental

in imparting a higher efficiency in the training of the

officers of all ranks, and especially in instilling a closer

study and a more thorough knowledge of the field-

service ordinance (regulations touching the training of

the troops for field service and the larger drills), and

of the instructions for the higher commanders, These

war-games will, at all times and most fittingly, serve

their purpose, if they are undertaken and executed in

the proper spirit,— the spirit which is fundamental in the

case of all exercises pertaining to the training of the

officers, namely, to enlarge the intellectual horizon of

the officers and to prepare them for the higher com-

mands. The attainment of this goal is warranted by the

untiring vigilance, the unfaltering faithfulness, and the

intelligent and energetic efforts on the part of the su-

perior officers of all ranks. The commander-in-chief

of the army, the Emperor, who combines high intelli-

gence with rare energy, looks likewise with incessant

care to the uniform enforcement of all rules pertaining

to the field-service ordinance throughout the entire Ger-

man army.

The fundamental principle which underlies all these

rules is to exact from every soldier the putting forth

of his whole faculties of body and mind, to demand

preeminently a resolute acting, and to impress on the

mind of every one— the highest commander as well

as the youngest soldier— the idea that omission and

negligence is to be considered a greater offence

than a mistake made in the selection of the proper

means.

SUPPLEMENT TO THE ORGANIZATION, COMPOSITION, AND

STRENGTH OF THE GERMAN ARMY

--piiE organization, composition, and strength of the

1 German army underwent important changes, due

to laws passed by the Imperial Diet, at the solicitation of

the German military authorities, on March 16th, 1899.

1. From the year 1893 there was in every regiment of

infantry one battalion established at only half its strength.

These half-battalions were gradually raised to their full

strength of from two to four companies. By forming

the four battalions into regiments, in the year 1897, two

new regiments of infantry were added to each armycorps. This process, in course of time, gave to each

army corps two infantry brigades, which thus comprised

three instead of two regiments. By this procedure the

army corps, which hitherto consisted of two, now con-

sisted of three divisions, and this created difficulties in

regard to their handling and mobility in case of war.

It thus became a matter of necessity to organize a new

army corps from parts of those army corps which consisted

of three divisions, a result brought about by the crea-

tion of the new regiments. It was likewise found

expedient to muster into divisions the newly-formed

regiments which belonged to the army corps stationed

on the eastern and western frontiers of the empire, and

consisting of two divisions. This was done for the

purpose of assigning special duties of frontier service to

these divisions, at the same time leaving intact the or-

ganization of the army corps. According to this, a new

corps was added to the Prussian army, the eighteenth,

with its command at Frankfort-on-the-Main, while the

kingdom of Saxony has now, aside from the twelfth,

the nineteenth corps, with its command at Leipsic.

Bavaria will be represented by an additional army

corps, the third Bavarian, with its command at Nuren-

berg. The two frontier corps, the first East-Prussian

63

and the fourteenth of Baden, are to be augmented each

by one division.

2. These newly-organized forces called only for three

additional regiments of cavalry, and for a small increase

of foot-artillery and pioneers.

3. The most important changes, however, were effected

in the organization and composition of the field-artillery.

By a gradual increase of the field-artillery, necessitated

by events which took place after the war of 1870-71.

the detachments and batteries of the field-artillery regi-

ments became unlike in numbers to such an extent that

some regiments showed as many as four detachments

and twelve batteries.

As a matter of fact, there belong to one battery

equipped for war, besides six guns with gun-limbers

drawn by six horses, eight ammunition wagons, each

drawn by six horses, three provision wagons, and one

portable forge. Each field-battery, therefore, consists

of eighteen wagons with 108 horses. A regiment of nine

to twelve batteries comprises, besides the horses of the

officers, of the noncommissioned officers, and the neces-

sary baggage and provision wagons with their horses,

102 to 210 army vehicles with from 972 to 1,290 horses.

The preceding statement will make it clear that sucli

masses are too bulky and unwieldy to be efficiently

trained in time of peace by one man — the commander of

the regiment. It would also be impossible for the com-

mander properly to supervise all the necessary material

in time of war, to bring it to the proper efficiency, and

to guide it in battle and on the firing-line with the

necessary precision and promptness. A due considera-

tion of this matter led to expedient and timely changes.

The regiments which were too large were severally re-

duced in size, but collectively increased in numbers. In

order to remove every disproportion, all regiments of the

field-artillery were placed on the same footing, that is,

they had two detachments each of three batteries; in

other words, each regiment had six batteries. By this

action still another point was gained. Eacri army

division, the chief tactical unity of the army and the

battle, consisting of the three branches of the army's

service, is now equipped uniformly with the necessary

number of batteries corresponding to the great im-

portance of artillery, which now often decides the fate of

the day. To each army division one brigade of field-

artillery, not, as formerly, one regiment of field-artillery.

is detailed. The standard of each German division, of

which two form one army corps, is now two infantry-

brigades of two regiments each, and one cavalry brigade

and one artillery brigade of two regiments each.

By this innovation the German army has attained

great efficiency and uniformity, and the German artillery-

has received an effective increase of eighty batteries.

Included in the latter are a number of new howitzer-

batteries, which lend material assistance in operations

against an enemy protected by entrenchments or by-

cover of any description. They are expected to supple-

ment, by their curved fire, the direct fire of the other

batteries.

4. A similar improvement became necessary with

regard to the troops which maintain communication with

the army in the field. The motive which actuated the

government in putting a proposal for this purpose before

the Imperial Diet, is thus stated: "The progress in all

branches of technics manifests itself in their various em-

ployment in warfare. The railway and balloon troops

require a large increase in numbers, if a sufficient and

competent personnel is to be secured for employment in

the event of war. Neither can the establishment of

new formations for the field-telegraph service be delayed

any longer. With the increase of the army's forces,

their handling without adequate telegraphic communica-

tion is out of the question. The field-telegraph service

requires a body of thoroughly reliable operators who

must be trained exclusively for those functions, and

who are yet lacking." (The pioneers formerly received

an additional training in these duties.)

In recognition of all these facts, the Imperial Diet

granted the proposed establishment of three telegraph bat-

talions and also an increase of balloon and railway troops.

The placing of the railway brigade and the telegraph and

balloon battalions under one bureau of inspection, em-

bracing all troops which maintain the communications

of the army, was agreed upon without opposition.

5. The proposition of the government, which called

for an increase of the peace-footing of the infantry, the

army's principal branch of service, did not meet with

the entire approval of the Diet. The infantry, which is

subject to the greatest toils of the campaign, and which

usually suffers the heaviest loss in battle, ought to have

been treated with more consideration in the changes

effected throughout the army. In order to strengthen

the battalions of a lesser count, as well as those which

are stationed on the frontier and have to be ready for

immediate service in time of mobilization, the number of

men should have been increased. This increase appears

all the more necessary as the strength during the

recruit's period of training has been considerably re-

duced by the introduction of the shorter time of service

—two years instead of three.

The proposed increase of the army on a peace-footing

from 479,229 men (officers, noncommissioned officers,

and one-year volunteers excluded) to 502,500 men was

cut down to 495,500, with the provision, however, that

a further increase shall be granted in case of necessity.

The changes made in the German army may thus be

summarized:

1. The number of army corps is to be raised from

twenty to twenty-three, by three additional corps, which

gives the German Empire twenty-two, in place of nine-

teen, army corps districts. The army, therefore, consists

of seventeen Prussian army corps, including those subject

to Prussia's administration (Corps of the Guards), first,

second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth,

tenth, eleventh, eighteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, six-

teenth, and seventeenth corps; three Bavarian corps (first,

second, and third); two Saxon corps (twelfth and nine-

teenth); one WUrtemberg corps (thirteenth).

64

2. The strength of the different branches of the army's

service is as follows:

(325 battalions of infantry (an increase of 1).

482 squadrons of cavalry (an increase of 13).

574 batteries (an increase of 80).

38 battalions of foot-artillery (an increase of 1).

26 battalions of pioneers (an increase of 3).

11 battalions of engineer troops (an increase of 4).

23 battalions of the military train (an increase of 2).

3. The peace-footing of the army is raised from

479,229 men to 495,500 men, an increase of 16,271.

The changes mentioned under paragraphs 1 and 2

went into effect on the first day of April, 1899. The

increase stated under 3 will become law on October 1st.

1899, and will be enforced accordingly.

A general scrutiny of the character of the changes

made will demonstrate their importance. The manage-

ment of the army's training in time of peace, its passing bv

mobilization from a peace-footing to a war-footing, and

the handling of the various organizations to attest their

readiness and efficiency for war operations are facilitated

by the changes. The tactical unities— the divisions

have become more independent and efficient for actual

service by the addition of a strong body of artillery,

capable of being easily and efficiently handled.

The prompt communication between the different

parts of the forces in the field, which is of the utmost

importance, has been facilitated by the increase and the

reorganization of the troops which maintain communica-

tion. The army's readiness for war in general has been

materially enhanced by the innovation which has taken

place. Throughout Germany the increase of the Father-

land's defensive strength, brought about by the energetic

efforts of the German Emperor, was hailed with en-

thusiasm and approval by every loyal citizen. But also

to other nations the following words, which characterize

the intention of the German government in formulating

its propositions, are significant and important: "Theevents of the Spanish-American war have demonstrated

with great clearness that the lack of a careful and syste-

matic preparation for war in time of peace is followed

by most disastrous consequences. No nation desiring to

maintain its reputation and integrity among the Powers

can afford to dispense with these preparations. Hence

the principle will always prevail in the future that a strong,

well-organized army is the best foundation of a govern-

ment, and at the same time the best safeguard of peace.'"

Guard Regiment on parade before WW I on the Templehof Parade grounds in Berlin.

65

Colonel (New Hohenzollern Overcoat). 25th Regiment of Infantry a von Liitzow" (Rhenish No. 1).

Regiment of Grenadier-Guards « Emperor Alexander."

i

125th Regiment of Infantry (Wurtemberg).

34th Regiment of Fusiliers (Pomeranian).

9th Regiment of Grenadiers (Colberg) "Count Gneisenau " (Pomeranian No. 2).

On Picket at Night. 89th Regiment of Grenadiers. (Grand-Duchy of Mecklenburg.)

- -^B^Sfcgp^&gssga

Body-Guard of H. M. the Empress. 2nd Platoon.

Kettle Drummer of the Regiment « Gardes du Corps."

,

Regiment of Hussars— Body-Guards.

Cavalry Patrol. 16th Regiment of Dragoons (Hanoverian No. 2).

Saxon Horse-Guards.

^'^j&j&s:

24th Regiment of Dragoons— Body-Guards (Hessian No. 2).

At the Riding Hall. Flying Jump. 13th Regiment of Uhlans (1st Royal Hanoverian Uhlans).

f-+~<

I I

\ *$§Amla¥J\ < ' W

Exercise with the Lance. 7th Regiment of Cuirassiers "von Seydlitz " (Magdeburg).

Captain. 1st Regiment of Hussars— Body-Guards.

1st Regiment of Uhlans "Emperor Alexander III. of Russia" (West-Prussian).

Hussars and Uhlans Destroying Telegraph Wires and Railroads.

**»y*\

"Battery Halt." 7th Regiment of Field Artillery (Westphalian).

Heavy Artillery at the Gun. 8th Regiment of Heavy Artillery (Rhenish).

/

12th Regiment of Field Artillery (Royal Saxon).

*p (^

Piece Drill. 21st Regiment of Field Artillery "von Clausewitz " (Upper-Silesian).

On the March. 2nd Regiment of Field Artillery "Horn" (Royal Bavarian).

^***&

Artillery Firing. 27th Regiment of Field Artillery (Nassau).

. ^$

1st and 2nd Regiments of Railway Troops.

Railway Troops Practicing at the Tempelhof Drill Grounds.

The Colonial Troops of German East-Africa.

Detachment of Balloon Troops. Cavalry Attack on a Balloon Detachment.

9th Battalion of the Military Train (Schleswig-Holstein).

THE GERMAN NAVY

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE NAVY

The history of Germany's sea-power dates far back

into the Middle Ages. When the first Cru-

saders had taken the city of Tarsus they were joined

by a fleet of Frisian and Flemish pirates, who wanted

to do penance at the Holy Sepulchre. This took

place in the year 1097. In 1147 a number of Fri-

sian, Flemish, and Rhenish mariners gave manly as-

sistance to the Portuguese in the capture of Lisbon,

previous to their taking part in the great crusade under

the leadership of Conrad III. At the beginning of the

thirteenth century, during the era of the fifth crusade.

Germany's sea-power was at its height. Oliverius, the

brave and pious canon of Cologne, had succeeded in

gathering together a great army of Crusaders near the

Lower Rhine, in Westphalia and Frisia, the citizens of

Cologne alone having equipped more than 300 vessels.

The Counts William of Holland and George of Wied

having been elected commanders of the fleet, the Cru-

saders put to sea in May, 1217, and reached the harbor

of Acre in the following April, after great hardships;

here they joined the Knights Templars in their expedi-

tion against Damiette in Egypt. At the siege of the

latter town they erected on two of their ships a high

wooden tower with a drawbridge for the purpose

of storming the immense obstruction made of chains

put across the Nile by the defending Saracens. After a

hot fight the Frisians scaled the enemy's tower from their

floating fortress, repulsed the Saracens, and cleared the

river of its obstructions. Later on the towers of the

boat-bridge at Damiette were destroyed by the same

siege-machine, so that the town proper could be taken

by storm, which event occurred November 5th, 1219.

In the twelfth century the city of Liibeck began to

rise as an emporium of commerce. Having been de-

stroyed by fire in 1152, Henry the Lion rebuilt the town,

granting it many privileges and elevating it to a bish-

opric. In the year 1188 it was declared a free imperial

city by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. At that time the

ships of Liibeck trafficked with the island of Gothland.

Intercourse with Wisby, the capital of the island, was in-

strumental in forming the first federation of German

merchants in foreign countries, giving a great impetus

to the German trade on the Baltic Sea. The Teutonic

Order was established by Crusaders from Lower Saxony

at Riga. Here the influence of the German sea-power

was strongly felt, and Riga became the centre for the

spread of German culture throughout the Baltic prov-

inces.

In the fourteenth century the severe conflicts of the

German sea-towns with Denmark led to their incorpora-

tion with the Hanseatic League. About the year 1350

the league became a solid organization, with Liibeck as

its soul and body.

The Danish King, Waldemar III, having captured the

German emporium at Gothland in 1361, the Hansa cities

determined to seek revenge on him for violating the treaty.

In May, 1362, the fleet under command of John Wit-

tenberg, the burgomaster of Liibeck, stormed and cap-

tured Copenhagen and sacked the town. But, while they

besieged the strong fortress of Helsingborg, Waldemar

attacked the defenseless fleet, capturing twelve of the

largest vessels and forcing the Hanseatic land-army to

abandon the expedition. The brave but incautious

Wittenborg atoned for his neglect by the loss of his

head. The truee of the year 1362, recognizing the

Danish possession of Gothland, having come to an end,

the whole German Hansa bestirred itself, and, at a diet

of the league at Cologne (1367), resolved to prosecute the

war against Denmark. The mustered forces of the Oster-

lings (eastern division) and Westerlings (the western or

Dutch division) raided the coast of Schonen, captured and

destroyed Copenhagen and Helsingor and sacked the Dan-

ish and Norwegian ports. King Waldemar had to take

to flight and was compelled to sign the ignominious treaty

of Stralsund in the year 1370. By this treaty the Han-

seats obtained possession of all the fortified seaports of

Schonen. It was also stipulated that henceforth no King

should ascend the throne of Denmark without the consent

of the Hansa towns and that their privileges should be

expressly confirmed. The treaty of Stralsund marks the

zenith of the power and prosperity of the Hansa League,

the strength of which was broken by internal dissensions

and strifes. The piracy, brought about by the long

wars, and practiced especially by the " Vitalienbriider"

and " Lickendeeler," greatly injured the trade of the

Hansa cities. The Hanseatic trading vessels being com-

pelled to sail in squadrons, their commerce suffered im-

mensely by this method and likewise by the sound-duties

levied by the Danish King, Eric, in 1425. This action

was deemed by the Hansa tantamount to a cause of war.

After three expeditions (1427-1429) had been sent forth

King Eric was forced to make peace and to abandon the

sound-duties.

Dissensions between the Westerlings (Dutch) and the

Osterlings continued to weaken the great confederation,

only Ltibeck exercising its old influence for a limited

period, of which the well-known historian, iEneas Sil-

vius, afterwards Pope Pius II, writes: " Liibeck's in-

fluence is so commanding that three mighty kingdoms

of the North accept or reject their rulers at its will."

The dissensions between the Osterlings and Wester-

lings were readily perceived by England, which power

96

was not slow to grasp the advantages thus offered.

King Henry VI, while favoring his old hosts, the mer-

chants of Cologne, suffered Count Richard of War-

wick, the royal governor of Calais, to attack 28 Lubeck

merchantmen in the year 1458. The latter repulsed the

attack, but in so doing lost six ships, and were unable

to secure any compensation for such loss. During

the reign of Edward IV some German merchants were

illtreated and plundered at their London quarters,

known as the Steelyard, or Guildhall, from sheer English

jealousy. This outrage prompted the Hansa to suspend

commerce with England, and to grant complete freedom

of action to the " Vitalienbruder," the pirates of the

German Ocean, against the ports of England.

In the year 1472 the Hanseatic fleet, commanded by

the brave freebooter Paul Beneke, harried the English

coast, and captured many vessels. In 1474 Edward IVwas compelled to sign a peace treaty, by the terms of

which the Osterlings recovered their old privileges and

an indemnity of £10,000 sterling. The latter term, it

may be said in passing, is an abbreviation of Osterling.

Of the great countries beyond the sea, discovered at

that period, Germany received none, the empire having

then no adequate navy. Indeed, according to an impe-

rial decree of 1512, no German trading company was

allowed to transact business with a foreign country.

Venezuela, which was forfeited as a pledge by EmperorCharles V as an hereditary fief to the princely Welsers

of Augsburg, and subdued almost completely by the

latter, was lost. They could not hold their possession

for lack of German naval protection, being dependent on

the arbitrary actions of Spain and Portugal.

Once more Lilbeck's sea-power rose, shining forth in

brilliant lustre. Allied with Dantzic, Rostock, Wismar,

and Stralsund it gave support to the Swedish King, Gus-

tavus Vasa. Christian II, King of Denmark, was de-

throned and the island of Bornholm was pledged to

Lubeck, as war indemnity, for a period of fifty years.

But, alas! princely, social, and religious affairs of a

particular nature interfered with Lubeck's endeavor to

regain naval predominance on the Baltic.

The valiant burgomaster, JUrgen Wullenweber, whohad subdued the entire kingdom of Denmark and had

also crippled the Danish, Swedish, and Dutch commerce,

was repudiated by his own fellow-citizens in a shameful

manner merely from petty jealousy. This brave manwas condemned to death and was executed at Brunswick

September 29th, 1537, whilst the Council of Lubecksanctioned the infamous sentence. The Hansa's sea-

power suffered eclipse with the death of Wullenweber.

The energetic commercial people of England took

advantage of the Hansa's weakness and selfish greed,

and had the charters of the German merchants annulled

by their rulers. The Hanseatic towns having aided in the

equipment of the Spanish armada by supplying it with

provisions, Queen Elizabeth in 1589 ordered a whole

fleet of Hanseatic merchantmen brought up at the mouth

of the river Tagus, and the Germans to be driven out of

their guildhall at London. After that, the Hanseatic

merchants were looked upon as harmless weaklings and

were compelled to obtain their part of the trade by

intrigue, barter, or entreaty.

During the reign of the Emperor Ferdinand II

the Hansa League missed its chance to regain lost

power, fearing, in the spirit of narrowmindedness, that

the Emperor might become too powerful. Wallenstein

organized an imperial navy at Wismar, receiving from

the Emperor, in 1628, a commission as " General of the

ocean and the Baltic Sea and Captain-General of the

Armada, then in course of construction." Only the city

of Stralsund offered a stubborn resistance to the imperial

forces, forming at the same time an alliance with the

Swedish King, Gustavus Adolphus. Having acquired

Stralsund, the King established a firm foothold on the

Baltic Sea and got possession, in the course of time, of

the bishoprics of Verden, Bremen, Wismar, the island of

Riigen, and almost all of Pomerania.

At a council of the Hansa League, convened at Lti-

beck in 1630, the emissaries of the different Hanseatic

towns declared themselves unable to continue the con-

federation. Without further parley the proud league

was dissolved, only Lubeck, Bremen, and Hamburg de-

ciding to assist each other in case of emergency. Thefundamental evil of the league lay in the defects in-

cident to its imperfect organization. These were lack

of harmony, selfish greed in individual members, and the

sad want of a national government, i. e., the firm hand

of an Emperor, powerful at sea, and able to wield and

direct its great powers. At the close of the Thirty

Years' War, Denmark, with Schleswig-Holstein and Ol-

denburg in its possession, controlled the entrance to the

German harbors, Bremen, Hamburg, and Lubeck. Swe-

den held the countries lying between the Elbe and

Weser, and the coasts of Mecklenburg and Pomerania;

Rostock alone preserving its independence. The duchy

of Prussia, Dantzic excluded, was subject to Poland.

Frederick William of Brandenburg, the Great Elector,

possessed at the beginning of his reign only a strip of

the Pomeranian coast with the only seaport, Kolberg,

the open unprotected roadsteads of Stolp and Rtigen-

walde, and the little seaport of Pillau as a fief of Poland.

After having been invested by the treaty of Oliva in

1660 with the sovereignty of the entire Prussian coast, the

resolute Elector resolved to create a powerful navy

and to make his seafaring dominions rich and pros-

perous by trade with foreign countries.

The Brandenburg flag, a red eagle on a white field,

for the first time flew from privateers sent out to

cripple Swedish commerce. The Swedes having madeinroads into Brandenburg, the Elector, with the design

of destroying Swedish commerce, hired, through the

agency of the Dutch merchant, Raule, ten Dutch frig-

ates, upon which he hoisted the Brandenburg flag. In a

short time twenty-one well-laden vessels were captured,

and in four weeks the Swedish flag disappeared from

German waters.

In the summer of 1676 the Elector closed another con-

tract with Raule for the equipment of five frigates and

97

six sloops to out off the Swedes from Pomerania. Raule

joined, at Copenhagen, a Danish and a Dutch auxiliary

fleet under the command of Admiral Cornelius Tromp.

At the naval battle fought near Bornholm on June 5th,

in which the Swedes were utterly routed, Raule cap-

tured the Leopard, a vessel of 22 guns, and a fire-ship

of 8 guns, and brought his prizes into the seaport of

Colberg. His squadron also rendered good service at

the blockade of the Pomeranian coast and captured many

valuable prizes.

In the year 1678 Raule had to provide a fleet of 210

large and 140 smaller vessels for the transportation of the

Brandenburg troops to the island of Rtigen. This was

effected under convoy of the united Dutch and Danish

fleets commanded by Admirals Tromp and Juel. After

the capture of Rligen, Raule's ships blockaded the inland

waters of Rtigen, an operation which secured the sur-

render of the towns of Stralsund and Greifswald.

By the treaty of St. Germain, signed on the 29th of

July, 1679, the Elector was deprived of all the advan-

tages gained over the Swedes, who had been almost driven

from Pomerania. By this treaty the sea-power of the

Elector, heralded by flattering promises, came to naught.

In the same year a new agreement was drawn up between

the Elector and Raule to last six years. It stipulated for

the equipment of eight vessels, with a crew of 400

sailors, officers included, and also for the construction of

twelve war vessels and two fire-ships at the shipyard

of Pillau. It was hoped to receive the necessary funds

for the construction of Raule's fleet from Spain, which

country owed the Great Elector subsidies to the amount

of 1,800,000 thalers, the payment of which had been in

arrears since the year 1674. Spain, however, refused the

money, and without any reason. But the Elector was

not the man to be trifled with and his announcement,

made at Madrid, "that he would try different methods to

get his money," was followed by deeds. On the 14th

of August a Brandenburg squadron^ consisting of the

vessels Frederick William, Kurprinz, Dorothea, Bed

Lion, Fuchs, Berlin, and the fire-ship Salamander,

with 165 guns, manned by 38 officers, 481 sailors and

180 marines, under command of Claus von Bevern, put

to sea to watch near Dunkirk for the convoy of Spanish

merchantmen sailing from Ostend to Cadiz.

On September 18th, the Brandenburg vessels over-

hauled a Spanish ship of 28 guns, the Carolus Secundus,

with a cargo of costly lace and fine linen. Captain

Cornelius Raes cruised with the other three ships,

heading for the West Indies, to capture a Spanish fleet

laden with silver. On April 20th, 1681, three frigates,

the Princess Marie, Wasserhund, and Fichhorn, under

Captain John Lacher, left the port of Pillau to cruise in

the English channel and from there to proceed in the

direction of the West Indies. Raule promised the

Elector "to tackle the Spaniards within two months, so

that they never should forget it." As a support to

Lacher, in June and July three additional great frigates

followed, the Fuchs, Frederick William, and the Caro-

lus Secundus, the name of which had been changed to

the Margrave of Brandenburg. After having joined

Lacher in the Straits of Dover, Thomas Alders led his

squadron into the Atlantic, heading for Cape St. Vincent,

for the purpose of capturing the Spanish "silver fleet,"

which was on its way homeward from the West Indies.

This daring undertaking provoked the wrath of the

Spanish government. It equipped, at the seaports of

Galicia, twelve galleys and two fire-ships, which put to

sea in September, under command of the Marquis de

Villaflel, with the intention of driving off the Bran-

denburg ships and protecting the approaching "silver

fleet."

On September 30th, Alders sighted the Spanish ships.

Eager to encounter the long and anxiously expected

silver galleys, he gave furious battle with his six small

vessels to the vastly superior Spanish forces. After a

hot contest, lasting over two hours, in which Alders lost

ten men killed and thirty wounded, he drew off and made

for the Portuguese harbor of Lagos, while the "silver

fleet" safely reached the port of Cadiz. In spite of the

undertaking having proved futile, its daring was not to

be underestimated. The boldness shown by little Bran-

denburg in attacking the ships of a European sea-power

excites to-day the same admiration and amazement it

did at the time of the occurrence. Honorably the Bran-

denburg navy maintained its prestige on the ocean

amidst great seafaring nations.

At this juncture the Great Elector resolved to replace

the hired navy by one of his own, and also to acquire

some colonial possessions. On January 1st, 1683, Major

Otto Frederick von Groeben solemnly took possession of

some territory lying on the west coast of Africa by

hoisting the Brandenburg flag and erecting the fort

"Gross Friedrichsburg," near the Cape Three Points on

the coast of Guinea. Later on, two other forts were

built, named "Dorothea," near Accadda, and "Branden-

burg," near Taccarary. The Elector also acquired the

island of Arguin in the bay of Arguin in the year 1685,

where an old Dutch fort was rebuilt and thirty guns were

mounted. A commercial agency was also established

at the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. The

death of the Great Elector, which took place May 9th,

1688, prevented the proper realization of his bold plans.

His successor, Elector Frederick III, could not continue

the fostering of the work; his whole energy was spent

in the war going on with the French at that period.

Only two frigates were equipped, which took a few

prizes. King Frederick William I's efforts were all

absorbed in the establishment of an efficient army; he

would not sacrifice a farthing for colonial enterprises.

The king sold, in the year 1720, the entire colonial pos-

sessions for the sum of 6,000 ducats, and 6,000 guilders

in shares, to the Dutch Company ; in the year 1731 the

agency formerly established at St. Thomas was likewise

relinquished. Frederick the Great endeavored to raise

the maritime commerce of his dominions. He created,

under great difficulties, an "Asiatic" and a "Bengal"

trading company, the success of which was frustrated

by the jealousy of the English and Dutch. Having no

adequate navy, the King could not guard his colonial

interests against the inconsiderate encroachments of the

former Powers. The Swedes threatening the fortress of

Stettin in the year 1758, a small Prussian fleet, with a

crew of 436 seamen, prevented the enemy from entering

the Pomeranian inland waters. In September, 1759,

this fleet encountered a vastly superior Swedish fleet in

the Bay of Stettin. In the battle which ensued the

Swedes lost 3 ships and 120 men, and were prevented

from entering the harbor.

After peace had been concluded, the Prussian war

vessels were altered into trading vessels, and the Prus-

sian flag disappeared from the high seas for a period of

about a hundred years. In the stormy times of the year

1848 the German nation, in the belief that it had effected

the unification of the Fatherland, asked for the immediate

organization of a navy. The fact that little Denmarkwas able to blockade the entire German coast made the

question of defence at sea a burning one. But, contem-

poraneous with the universal wish, there was a general

misconception of the situation. Even though the neces-

sary funds were forthcoming, the organization, equip-

ment, and armament of a navy could not be effected at a

moment's notice ; little, therefore, was accomplished, in

spite of the manifested feverish zeal.

In April, 1849, the German navy consisted of the fol-

lowing vessels:

2 steam frigates, the Barbarossa and Archduke Johann,each of 9 guns.

1 steam frigate, the Hansa, of 11 guns.

1 first-class steam corvette, King Ernst August, in

course of construction.

3 additional steam corvettes, the lubeck, Hamburg, andBremen, each of 2 guns.

1 steam corvette, Bonin, in course of construction at Kiel.

1 sailing frigate, the Deutschland, of 32 guns.

With the latter, only three steam vessels, the Barba-rossa, Lubeck, and Hamburg, were really available for

active service. With these three ships Captain Bromme,formerly in the Greek naval service, made the only recon-

noitring cruise ever undertaken under the federal flag,

the colors of which were black, red, and gold. Thecruise, made in the waters of Heligoland, was a futile

one. The federal navy so hastily created was neither fit

for service nor was it fit to survive; its dissolution was

decreed by the federal Diet and the several ships were

partly sold and partly auctioned off.

The navy created by the Schleswig-Holstein commit-

tee on naval affairs showed, however, a brilliant activity

in the struggle with Denmark, lasting from 1848 to

1851. In the fight at Eckernfcrde, which took place

April 5th, 1849, the Danish battleship Christian VIIIwas blown up by two Schleswig-Holstein land batteries

of 10 guns, while the frigate Qefion was forced to sur-

render. The two ships carried 132 heavy guns. In

all its engagements the Schleswig-Holstein navy suc-

ceeded in warding off the attacks of the vastly superior

Danish forces upon the chief German seaports. After

the surrender of the Elbe duchies to Denmark, this small

navy soon ceased to exist.

In contrast with the inefficient work of the federal

navy, doomed to ruin from the start, the Prussian navy

developed itself slowly, but on a solid foundation. OnMarch 1st, 1849, Prince Adelbert was appointed com-

mander-in-chief of all Prussian war vessels. These con-

consisted of 1 sailing corvette, the 2 mail-steamers,

Prussian Eagle and Elisabeth, and 21 sloops, armed

with 67 guns and with a crew of 32 officers and

1,521 men. At Stettin a naval depot, and at Dantzic a

navy yard were established; while a naval corps, a marine

corps, and a division of engineers were created in 1852.

In 1853 a Prussian squadron, consisting of the Qefion,

bought from the derelict federal navy, the Amazon, and

the Mercur, set out on a naval expedition on the Atlan-

tic to Madeira, and to the La Plata States and the WestIndies. The expedition was commanded by Commodore

Schroeder, formerly in the Dutch service. In 1853, Jahde

bay was acquired from Oldenburg as a harbor on the

German Ocean. In the following year, Prince Adelbert

was appointed admiral of the Prussian coasts. About

that time the organization of the dock-yards and marine

corps was effected, and the marine reserve was put in an

efficient condition. Besides the marine depot at Stral-

sund, a station command was established at Dantzic, the

school of sea cadets was removed from Stettin to Berlin,

and the reserve and landwehr were also organized.

During the years from 1859 to 1865, the Prussian navy

was strengthened by additional vessels. These included

the protected corvettes Arcona, Gazelle, Vineta, and

Nymphe; the gunboats Belphin, Blitz, and Basilisk,

the sailing brig Hela, together with the despatch-boat

Loreley.

The navy suffered a great loss in November, 1861, by

the foundering of the corvette Amazon off the Dutch

coast. In this mishap 6 officers, 19 naval cadets, and

120 men were engulfed in a watery grave.

In the war of 1864, the Prussian navy, consisting of

three large vessels and a number of gunboats, with about

70 guns, was no match for a Danish fleet of 18 war ves-

sels, carrying 363 guns. Its activity was confined to a

number of short and unavailing fights and attacks, such

as the encounter which took place at Stubenkammer,

under Captain Jachmann on March 17th, and that under

Prince Adelbert against the Danish frigate Tordenskjold,

in the waters of Rtlgen.

The Prussian vessels, Prussian Eagle, Blitz, and

Basilisk, having returned from the Mediterranean,

fought a battle on May 9th, 1864, in conjunction with the

Austrian screw frigates Schwarzenberg and Badetzky,

under Commodore Tegethoff, against the Danes near

Heligoland. The Danish squadron consisted of the frig-

ate Niels Juel and the corvettes Heimdal and Dagmar,— opposing 104 Danish guns to 98 guns of the allied

Prussians and Austrians. The Austrian CommodoreTegethoff maintained a fierce fight for a time, but

was compelled to withdraw, his flagship being set on

fire by the enemy. Towards the close of the war, the

99

Prussian gunboats gave active support in capturing the

flotilla of the Danish Captain, Hammer, near the island

of Fohr.

During this period the armed vessels Arminius and

Prince Adelbert, and the unprotected corvettes Au-

gusta and Victoria, were bought abroad ; the corvette

Medusa was completed at the navy yard at Dantzic in

1865. In the same year the marine station of the Baltic

Sea was removed to Kiel, and a naval artillery service

was created. In the years 1865-68 the protected cor-

vette Vineta made a tour around the world, this being

the first expedition of the kind made by a German war

vessel.

In the war of 1866, only the gunboats Cyclop and

Tiger, the side-wheeler Loreley, and the armed vessel

Arminius came into action. They took the fortress of

Stade by surprise and captured the enemy's batteries

posted on the Elbe, Weser, and Ems.

With the creation of the North German confederation,

the Prussian navy was merged into a North German

federal navy. This took place July 1st, 1867. The

confederation had to provide for the navy, to the service

of which the entire seaman population was now liable.

The flag of the North German navy was hoisted on all

ships in service on October 1st, replacing the Prussian

colors. The flag shows a black cross in a white field, in

the centre of the cross the Prussian eagle, and in the

upper inner quarter the German imperial colors,

—

black, white, and red,— with the iron cross. This

flag has been retained in its entirety as the imperial

war-flag.

In 1868 the navy received an additional increase of

three large armed battleships, built abroad, the ICdnig

Wilhelm, Friedrich Carl, and Kronprinz. In the same

year the beautiful wooden screw corvette Elisabeth was

launched, a masterpiece of German shipbuilding. This

vessel made her first cruise in the Mediterranean to

attend the opening of the Suez Canal and joined there

the squadron which had escorted Crown Prince Fred-

erick William to Port Said. In 1869 the harbor for

men-of-war, situated on the Jahde, was opened and

named Wilhelmshaven by King William. This took

place on June 17th.

At the beginning of the Franco-German war the North

German federal navy mustered only 3 armored frigates,

2 other armored vessels, 1 battleship, 3 protected and 5

unprotected corvettes, 8 first-class and 14 second-class

gunboats, 3 side-wheel steamers, and 7 sailing vessels,

with a total crew of 162 officers and 3,650 men. Of

these the two protected corvettes Arcona and Hertlia,

the unprotected corvette Medusa, and the first-class gun-

boat Meteor, were abroad. The opposing French fleet

consisted of 232 war vessels ready for warlike opera-

tions, of which 33 were armored. It was formed into

two squadrons; the Baltic squadron comprised 5 armored

frigates, 2 armored corvettes, 2 despatch-boats and 1

yacht, with a total crew of 4,000 men. Its entire armament

included 70 heavy and many light guns. The French

squadron stationed in the German Ocean consisted of 7

armored frigates, 2 unprotected frigates, and 2 despatch-

boats, of 87 guns, with a total crew of 4,000 men.

As a matter of course, the German navy contented

itself with the defence of the coast, the attacks upon

which by the French squadrons were unavailing.

On August 17th, 1870, while on a reconnoitring cruise,

an unimportant engagement took place between the Ger-

man flotilla stationed at Stralsund (consisting of the

Grille and three first-class gunboats under Admiral Jach-

mann), and the French Baltic squadron. During the night

of August 22nd, the Nymphe, under Captain Weikhmann,

made a sortie from the harbor of Dantzic against three

French battleships anchored in the bay. The ship suc-

ceeded in approaching the enemy without being noticed

and delivered two broadsides into the French vessels,

which replied with only a few shots. The German ship

safely drew back into the harbor. The French soon left

their moorings on the Prussian coast. In September

the French Baltic squadron withdrew from Baltic waters,

so dangerous to navigation, and joined the squadron sta-

tioned near Heligoland, in the German Ocean, which

was blockading the mouths of the Elbe, Weser, and

Jahde. No engagement followed.

The corvette Augusta, under Captain Weikhmann,

which left in December, succeeded, however, in capturing

three French vessels laden with provisions and ammuni-

tion at the mouth of the river Gironde. The vessel was

later on penned up by a French squadron in the Spanish

harbor of Vigo, and had to stay there till the war was

ended.

On November 9th, the gunboat Meteor, commanded

by Lieutenant-Captain Knorr, encountered the French

despatch-boat Sounet near Havana. The German vessel

was of 347 tons and 320 horsepower, and had an arma-

ment of three rifled guns, one of 5.9 in. and two of 4.7 in.

with a crew of 62 men. The JBouvet was a vessel of

700 tons and 600 horsepower, with a steaming power

twice as great as that of the Meteor. Her armament con-

sisted of one 6.1 in. gun, two 4.7 in. guns and four

swivel-guns; the crew numbered 85 men. At noon on

November 9th the Meteor left the harbor of Havana to

meet her adversary, that had taken to the open seas

twenty-four hours previous. After a lapse of about thirty

minutes, the vessels drew near each other—to within

2,000 yards. The French having fired eight shots, which,

however, fell short, the distance between the vessels was

reduced to about 1,000 yards. Knorr opened fire with

his 4.7 in. bow gun and changed his course somewhat to

the east, to bring his heavy 5.9 in. midship gun to bear

upon his opponent. By this manoeuvre Knorr exposed

his broadside, of which Captain Franquet, the French

commander, took instant advantage. He first tried to

ram the German boat, but in this he was partly foiled; he

was also to some extent puzzled by the adroit manoeu-

vring of Captain Knorr. In the collision, the bow of the

French boat stove in the larboard boats and injured the

hurricane deck of the Meteor. It also turned away the

projecting muzzles of the amidship and after-deck guns,

preventing the discharge of the former and the further

100

use of the latter. The Bouvet's foreyard broke off the

foreyard and the mizzenmast of the German gunboat,

and bent over the mainmast, while its iron cathead car-

ried off the larboard shrouds. The gunboat was lying

by, apparently disabled for the time being. Knorr,

however, manoeuvred about so skillfully that the main-

mast, swinging to and fro, fell to the starboard like the

foremast, and turned his boat in such a manner that the

larboard guns were available for action.

While the Frenchman missed his chance, the Meteor

fired the first shell from her 5.9 in. gun, striking the Bou-vet amidship, near the water line, and enveloping her in

a cloud of steam. The Germans hailed this decisive turn

in the fight with a thundering hurrah. The French-

man at once set sail for Havana, seeking in haste the

protecting neutral zone, leaving the scene of action

and the victory to the Meteor. Had the fight continued,

the Bouvet, which had fired no shot after the collision,

would have been forced to strike her colors. When the

Meteor returned to Havana she was welcomed with

rousing vivas.

The war on land, so successful to Germany, fully

demonstrated that the lives of many brave soldiers

could have been saved if a German navy had been

in existence to prevent the importation of arms into

France by America and England, especially the latter.

Gradually, but effectively, the opinion prevailed in Ger-

man countries that a strong empire needs an efficient

navy in order to figure as a great Power among the

nations.

After the title and dignity of an Empire were revived,

on January 18th, 1871, the North German federal navy

became the German imperial navy, but without a change

of colors. It was now the duty of the empire to pro-

vide for a navy adequate to the Fatherland's position

among the nations. Some changes in the organization

of the navy were effected at this period. The naval

ministry was replaced by the imperial admiralty in

1872; a naval station on the German Ocean was created

at Wilhelmshaven, with a second marine division and

a second navy-yard division. After this the naval

academy was founded and amalgamated with the marine

school at Kiel, followed by the establishment of a ship-

boys' division at Friedrichsort. General von Stosch

was appointed chief of the imperial admiralty. Prince

Adelbert, the creator and first tutor of the navy, whodied June 1st, 1873, did not live to see the fruits of

his work. In the same year the imperial diet granted

the funds asked for by the government, namely 218,-

500,000 marks, for the purpose of constructing the fol-

lowing navy, adequate to the position of the empire, to be

finished in the year 1882 : 8 armored frigates, 6 armored

corvettes, 7 armored monitors, 2 armored batteries, 20

corvettes, 6 despatch-boats, 18 gunboats, 2 artillery

training ships, 3 sailing vessels, 3 sailing brigs, and

20 torpedo-boats. The navy-yards at Dantzic, Wil-

helmshaven, and Kiel were improved and enlarged.

Admiral von Stosch energetically followed out his

design to foster and promote home shipbuilding to

such an extent that in a short time all ships could be

built at German shipyards. Only the armored frigates

Kaiser and Beutschland were launched from an Eng-

lish shipyard in 1874.

In the seventies, the active peace operations of the

German navy began. In 1873, the battleship Fried-

rich Carl and the corvette Elisabeth, commanded by

Commodore Reinhold Werner, were despatched to the

Spanish Mediterranean coast, to protect the Germanresidents at that place during an insurrection in Spain.

According to maritime law, the Spanish government

declared the vessels held by the insurgents in the

harbor of Cartagena to be those of pirates subject to

pursuit by all foreign powers. Under the guns of the

rebel fortress Cartagena, the Friedrich Carl captured

the Spanish despatch-boat Vigilante. Her crew was set

free; the ship, however, was delivered over to the Span-

ish government. On August 1st, Werner forced the

rebel vessels Vitoria and Almansa to surrender. The

crew, 1,400 men strong, were landed; the two frigates,

however, were delivered first to an English squadron,

and later on to Spain. Werner's energetic action was

praised in England as a daring deed, the equal of

a glorious achievement at sea. Not so in Germany;there it was regarded in a totally different aspect.

Werner was relieved of his command, receiving the

commission of director-in-chief of the navy-yard at

Wilhelmshaven.

During the disturbances, which took place in the

Orient in 1876, and in which the German and French

consuls of Saloniki were murdered by a mob, the Porte

was compelled by a German squadron, consisting of four

armored frigates under Rear-Admiral Batsch, to punish

the murderers, and also the instigators of this act of

violence.

In the years 1874-1876, the circumnavigation of the

globe was effected by the protected corvette Gazelle,

commanded by Captain Baron von Schleinitz. This was

the first scientific expedition on a large scale ever under-

taken by a German man-of-war.

In the year 1877, Prince Henry of Prussia, the brother

of the German Emperor, entered the navy as a cadet

on the sailing frigate Niobe. His name, since then so

closely associated with the German navy, will continue

to live in its history.

A great catastrophe befell the navy on May 31st, 1878.

The large new battleship Grosser Kurfurst was sunk in

a collision with the K'onig Wilhelm. This event took

place near Folkestone in the English channel, and caused

the loss of 269 men.

In the year 1879, during the war between Chili and

Peru, the armored frigate Hansa, under Captain von

Heusner, effected the release of the steamer Luxor,

which had been attached contrary to law. Thefrigate also saved the seaport of Callao, where manyGerman interests were at stake, from bombardmentby Chili's fleet. On September 17th, 1881, the first

great naval review was held by Emperor William at

Kiel.

101

In the spring of 1883, when Admiral von Stosch

stepped out of office, the navy consisted of the following

ships: 7 armored frigates, 5 armored corvettes, 11 pro-

tected and 8 unprotected corvettes, 9 first-class gunboats,

1 armored vessel and 11 armored gunboats for coast de-

fence, 10 torpedo-boats, 4 mine-layers, 1 second-class

gunboat, 8 despatch-boats, 2 transport steamers, 12

sohoolships, and several steamers for harbor and pilot

service. In course of construction were 1 battleship, 3

corvettes, 1 first-class gunboat, 2 armored gunboats, and

1 torpedo-boat. General von Caprivi was appointed

chief of the admiralty.

At this juncture Germany's naval power was efficient

enough to resume the colonial policy dormant during a

period of two hundred years. The colonial enterprises

and commercial interests started at that time in countries

beyond the sea, gave to the German navy in the eighties

a chance to demonstrate its efficiency and the necessity

of its existence. On July 4th, 1884, the annexation of

Bageida in the Toga country was effected by H. M. S.

Move, Dr. Nachtigal officiating as imperial commis-

sioner. The same ship hoisted the German flag at

Kamerun, where Hamburg merchants had established

commercial agencies since 1868. H. M. S. Elisabeth

under Captain Schering, together with the Leipzig,

took possession of some territory on the southwestern

coast of Africa, acquired by the Bremen merchant Ltl-

deritz in 1883. On August 7th, 1884, all territory from

the northern banks of the Orange river to the 26th de-

gree south latitude was placed under the protectorate

of Germany. On the 12th of the same month, the entire

coast, north of " Liideritzland " and stretching to the

Portuguese frontier at Cape Frio, was incorporated into

the German colonial possessions by the gunboat 'Wolf.

But Walfisch bay, claimed by England, was excluded

from the deal.

I'n the South Sea, on November 3rd, 1894, Captain

Schering secured, by means of the Elisabeth and the

gunboat Hyane, Matupi, the chief port of the Bismarck

Archipelago, and the following day obtained possession

of the harbor of Mioko. In the same month the territory

lying on the coast of New Guinea, and now called

"Kaiser Wilhelmsland," became subject to German rule,

and the German flag was hoisted by the Elisabeth in the

important harbor of Finch on November 27th.

During this period the navy suffered several losses.

In June, 1885, the corvette Augusta foundered in a terri-

ble hurricane in the Gulf of Aden. The entire crew of

9 officers and 214 men were lost.

In August, 1885, a squadron consisting of the corvettes

Prince Adelbert, Stosch, Elisabeth, and Qneisenau,

under Commodore Paschen, anchored in front of the

Sultan of Zanzibar's palace. The squadron was aug-

mented on the 17th of the month by the corvette Bis-

marck, the flagship of Admiral Knorr, and later on by

the gunboat M8ve. The East-African company had

previously purchased 2,500 miles of good inland ter-

ritory. To make this colony self-supporting, an ade-

quate strip of the coast land had to be procured. The

Sultan, instigated by the English, tried by force to

prevent this action. On December 20th, Admiral

Knorr concluded an important treaty with the Sultan,

by the terms of which' the latter granted the strip of

coast in question.

The occupation of a few of the Caroline islands (now

[1899] purchased with the adjoining island groups, by

Germany) by the litis in 1885 almost provoked a war

with Spain, which nation claimed a prior title to the

islands. The imperial chancellor, Bismarck, succeeded

in averting warlike actions, however, by leaving the

decision to the Pope. By papal arbitration Spain was

granted possession of the islands with the stipulation

that Germany would receive the privilege of free com-

merce, and the right of a coaling station upon one of

the islands. In October, 1885, the Marshall Islands

were annexed by the Nautilus, and in 1886 the Solo-

mon Islands by the Adler.

At the festivities held in connection with the laying of

the cornerstone of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal on June

3rd, 1887, with the purpose of shortening the route be-

tween the Baltic and the German Ocean, and also of

making the operations of the German navy independent

of the enemy's action, the German naval forces were im-

posingly represented. Twenty-one German war vessels,

of which seven were battleships and thirteen torpedo-

boats, with a crew of 6,380, thundered forth their salute

in honor of Emperor William. This was the Emperor's

last naval review

Emperor William II ascended the throne on June

17th, 1888. From his earliest youth he gave evidence

of great interest in the navy, which interest increased

in intensity, as was manifested in the course of his reign

by the untiring zeal and active concern displayed by him.

In July of the same year the Emperor appointed Vice-

Admiral Count von Monts chief of the admiralty, who,

however, died shortly afterward and was succeeded by

Vice-Admiral Baron von der Goltz. In March of the

following year the admiralty was divided into two

branches of service. One, the chief command of the

navy, had to deal with affairs pertaining to the different

commands, the other was the imperial naval bureau

whose function embraced the administration of naval

affairs. Since 1895 Admiral von Knorr has been the

commanding admiral.

The blockade of the East-African coast, lasting from

November, 1888, to the fall of 1889, was undertaken in

conjunction with England. This task fell to the lot of a

squadron consisting of the cruiser-frigate Leipzig, the

cruiser-corvettes Garola and Sophie, the cruisers Mdve

and Falke, and the despatch-boat Blitz, commanded by

Rear-Admiral Deinhart. In this undertaking they were

successful, as they were in the suppression of a rebellion

of the Arabs on the mainland of German-Africa, which

was effected by the cooperation of the German colonial

troops with the marines. The squadron blockaded the

coast from the fourth to the ninth degree south latitude,

in order to suppress the slave trade carried on by the

Arabs. Previous to this, on September 22nd, 1888, a

102

corps of marines from the Leipzig had stormed Baga-

rnayo. On January 29th, 1889, a body of marines from

the Sophie drove the Arabs out of Dar-es-Salaam. OnMarch 27th of the same year, some troops from the Leip-

zig, Carola, and Schwalbe, under Captain Hirschberg

captured the town of Kondutschi, a notorious lurking

place of the Arabs. On May 8th, some marines, in

connection with the colonial troops under Captain Wiss-

man, stormed the fortified camp of Chief Buschiri near

Bagamayo, the enemy losing 80 killed. On July 8th,

Pangani, and on the 10th, Tanga, were captured. OnOctober 19th and 20th Lieutenant von Gravenreuth

routed the Mafitis, led by Buschiri, and the rebel chief

took refuge at Sadaani. This place was taken on No-vember 8th, by marines from the Carola, Schwalbe,

and the just arrived Sperber, in conjunction with 200

colonial troops. In May, 1890, the Schwalbe and the

Carola took part in the capture of Kilwa, Lindi, and

Mikindani, effecting a complete suppression of the re-

bellion.

By these engagements the navy indirectly won the

English island of Heligoland for Germany; on July 1st,

1890, this island was exchanged for Witu and the sur-

render of the German protectorate of Zanzibar.

The protection of German interests on the Samoanislands cost many lives. In 1888, the cruisers Olga and

Adler, and the gunboat Eber, were despatched to quell

an uprising of the natives against the German settlers

and merchants. In a fight near Apia with the rebels,

who were amply provided with firearms by the Americans,

2 officers and 14 men were killed on the German side,

while 37 men were wounded. A great disaster befell

H. M. SS. Olga, Adler, and Eber in the harbor of Apia.

In a terrific hurricane, March 15th, 1889, the Adler and

the Eber foundered on the coral reefs, while the Olga

escaped destruction only by running ashore. Five offi-

cers and 80 men met a watery grave.

In August, 1891, the Leipzig, Sophie, and Alexan-

drine were sent to protect the German residents at Val-

paraiso. Three hundred men of the squadron held two

hills of the town, where most of the Germans lived, until

the victorious opposing party had restored order in the

town and guaranteed security to the Germans.

Fresh in the memory of every reader is the great

naval review which took place at the opening of the

canal connecting the German Ocean with the Baltic.

Fifty-three foreign warships, representing sixteen nations,

and surrounded by twenty-eight men-of-war and two di-

visions of torpedo-boats of the German empire, thundered

forth their salutes to the German Emperor, as he laid the

finishing stone of this gigantic undertaking at Holtenau.

The Emperor named the canal "Kaiser Wilhelm Kanal"

in honor of its founder. This event occurred on June

20th, 1895.

At the beginning of the Japanese-Chinese war the

Litis sailed for Corea, in order to protect the Germanconsul at Seoul. During this cruise the ship saved 220

shipwrecked Chinese, who had taken refuge on the in-

hospitable island of Tak Shan. In April, 1895, the Litis

was called upon to protect the German steamer Arthur,

lying at Tamsui, a harbor of Formosa. Some Chinese

rebels had fired from the land-forts of Tamsui harbor upon

the steamer, which had a sum of money on board belong-

ing to the Chinese government. At this juncture the Litis

threw a few well-directed shells into the fort, one of

them killing thirteen Chinese and scattering the others

in all directions. On July 23rd, 1896, this ship went

down in a typhoon near the cape of Sha-Tung, only ten

of the crew being saved. With three cheers for their

Emperor the gallant seamen sank beneath the surging

waves.

In December, 1897, after some German missionaries

had been murdered by a Chinese mob, German marines

took possession of the harbor and fortified town of Kiau-

Chou in China. This incident caused the German gov-

ernment to establish a firm foothold in China, in order to

protect its imperial subjects, and also its important

commercial affairs. Germany's object, however, was not

to make war upon China, but to come to an agreement

with the Chinese Emperor, by which Kiau-Chou could

be leased for a period of ninety-nine years. To enforce

Germany's demands, the Emperor, shortly before Christ-

mas, sent a squadron to China. Prince Henry of Prussia,

the Emperor's brother, who commanded one division of

marines belonging to the above squadron, was intrusted

with the political part of the mission.

During the Spanish-American war of 1898, it fell to

the lot of the East-Asiatic squadron to protect the im-

portant commercial interests of the Germans living in

the Philippines, and especially at Manila. This squad-

ron consisted of the second-class battleship Deutschland,

commanded by Prince Henry, her sister ship Kaiser, the

flagship of Admiral von Diederichs, and the cruisers

Kaiserin Augusta, Lrene, Princess Wilhelm, Gefion,

and Cormoran. This task led to unpleasant misunder-

standings and somewhat complicated situations. Thecomplaints preferred by the American Admiral, Dewey,against the commander of the German squadron of hav-

ing violated the laws of blockade led to a remonstrance

by the American ambassador at Berlin.

The German secretary of foreign affairs, however, as-

sured the latter that all reports about intentional violation

of the blockade were absurd, and furthermore, he declared

that the presence of such a powerful German squadron in

the harbor of Manila was absolutely necessary for the pro-

tection of the large number of Germans residing there.

He also insisted that the action of the cruiser Lrene

against the insurgents at Subig bay, on July 7th, was

justified and only instituted in behalf of humanity. It

might be asserted that the German squadron in the

whole affair did not show an intentional unfriendly

feeling toward the Americans, strictly adhering to in-

ternational law and usage; that on the other hand,

the squadron never shirked its duty in protecting im-

perial subjects.

103

ORGANIZATION OF THE NAVY

ITseemed for a time as though the splendid success

achieved by the German army in the war of 1870-71,

and the efforts which were subsequently directed toward

its further development under the consolidated empire,

had absorbed all the interest and resources of the Ger-

man people, and prevented any attempt to build a navy

that should be truly representative of the country. It

was only at the beginning of the eighties, and especially

with the accession to the throne of the present Emperor,

William II., that an active naval policy was inaugurated.

It is largely due to the Emperor's persistent efforts that

Germany now possesses the modern and efficient navy

represented by the fine vessels of the Brandenburg class

and by the Kaiser Friedrich III., the Filrst Bismarch,

the IKaiserin Augusta, and others of the new type. The

organization of the navy, too, with all its details, is pre-

eminently the work of the Emperor, who, with an ever

watchful eye, endeavors to raise Germany to the position

of a real sea-power, to enlarge her colonial possessions,

and to foster and protect her foreign commerce in every

quarter of the globe.

The army, together with the navy, constitutes the

fighting strength of the German Empire. Both branches,

though independent of each other, have coordinate

jurisdiction. According to Article 58 of the Imperial

Constitution, the whole of the maritime population of

the empire, including the technical personnel and the

artisans, are absolved from land duty, but are liable to

service in the imperial navy. The organization of the

marine comprises the Naval Cabinet, the General Naval

Inspection Department, the Imperial Naval Administra-

tion, and the personnel of the navy.

The commander-in-chief of the navy is His Majesty,

the Emperor and King, William II. Directly under his

command is the Naval Cabinet at Berlin.

In the cabinet such matters are treated of as are not

dealt with in the reports of the Admiralty's Staff, or in

those of the Secretary of the Imperial Naval Adminis-

tration. A rear-admiral acts as chief of the Cabinet,

assisted by two captains. According to a Cabinet order

of March 14th, 1899, the former chief command of the

navy is abolished and replaced by the General Naval

Inspection Department.

The Admiralty's Staff Department, which formerly

formed a part of the chief command, becomes an inde-

pendent organization, and is called the Admiralty's Staff

of the Navy. This new organization is directed by an ad-

miral as chief, and is located at Berlin. The chief of the

Admiralty's Staff is placed directly under the Emperor.

The authority exercised by the former admiral in com-

mand, in regard to matters which pertain to discipline

and furlough, fall to his supervision. The Staff of the

Admiralty not only transacts all routine business of

the Admiralty, but has to do also with affairs concern-

ing the ships abroad, both in a naval and political

aspect. Directly placed under the authority of the Em-peror are likewise the chiefs of the naval stations., the

inspector of the navy's educational institutes, the chief

of the first squadron, and the chief of the cruiser squad-

ron. The inspector-general of the navy is also appointed

by the Emperor.

The General Naval Inspection Department consists of

an inspector-general, with the rank of an admiral, and

the Admiralty's Staff at Berlin. This Staff is classified

into a chief (rear-admiral), an adjutant (captain of cor-

vette), and a departmental directory, composed of one

captain, four captains of corvette, five captain-lieutenants,

and one lieutenant. The commands of the naval sta-

tions covering the German waters (of which there are

two, namely, the Baltic naval station at Kiel, and the

North Sea naval station at Wilhelmshaven), are named

the home stations. The foreign waters are divided into

the Mediterranean station, the East-African and West-

African stations, the East- Asiatic, the American, and the

Australian stations. These are called the foreign sta-

tions. The commands of the ships abroad are independ-

ent and only subject to the Emperor's authority in all

naval and political matters. The Emperor's orders are

transmitted to these ship commands by the chief of the

Admiralty's Staff.

The command of the Baltic naval station, located

at Kiel, is composed of a chief of the station (admiral),

of the chief of the staff (captain), and the admiral's staff.

The latter is classified into two adjutants (a captain of

corvette and a lieutenant), an assistant (captain of cor-

vette), and a captain of the port. The chief of the sta-

tion has one captain, two captains of frigate, and two

captains of corvette at his disposal.

According to a cabinet order of May 23rd, 1899, there

are placed under the command of the Baltic station the

first marine artillery division at Friedrichsort, the first

torpedo division at Kiel, and the first battalion of ma-

rines at Kiel. Subject to the above command are also

the first marine inspection department at Kiel, embracing

the first seamen division at Kiel (first and second de-

tachments), and the first dock-yard division at Kiel.

The command of the North Sea naval station at Wil-

helmshaven is composed of a chief of the station (vice-

admiral), of a chief of the staff (captain), and of the

admiral's staff. The latter comprises two adjutants (a

captain -lieutenant and a lieutenant), a captain of cor-

vette as assistant, and a captain of the port. The chief

104

of the station has three captains of corvette under his

control.

Under the command of the North Sea naval station

are placed the second, third, and fourth marine artillery

divisions, the second torpedo division, and the second

battalion of marines at Wilhelmshaven. Subject to the

same command is the second marine inspection, compris-

ing the second seamen division and the second dock-yard

division, both located at Wilhelmshaven. This innova-

tion was evidently inaugurated in order to simplify the

routine business, especially to secure expedition in the

event of mobilization. The inspection departments, or the

inspectors of the torpedo service, of the marine infantry,

and the marine artillery, retain their functions as regards

the training of their respective troops and the technical

personnel of the navy. In all other matters, especially

those pertaining to mobilization and to the reserve, the

intermediate functions of the inspection departments cease

to operate. The various bodies and organizations of the

navy communicate directly with the commands of the

Baltic and North Sea naval stations. They thus may be

compared to the chief commands of the army, which, while

themselves independent, are subject only to the authority

of the Emperor.

The department of the torpedo service inspection,

located at Kiel, stands likewise under the command of

the Baltic naval station. This department has to pro-

vide for the proper training of the different crews in the

use of the torpedo and the torpedo boats, and has to

look to the readiness and perfection of the equipping

material. At the head of the department is a vice-

admiral in the capacity of an inspector. Included in this

bureau are the command of the torpedo tests at Kiel,

supervised by a captain, and the torpedo laboratory at

Friedrichsort, which is superintended by a captain of

corvette.

The department of the marine infantry inspection,

with staff headquarters at Kiel, is also subject to the

Baltic naval station. At the head of the department

stands an inspector, who ranks with a regimental com-

mander of the army. His functions include the super-

vision of the entire service of the sea battalions, of which

the first is stationed at Kiel, and the second at Wilhelms-

haven.

The department of the marine artillery inspection has

its seat at Wilhelmshaven. It is placed under the com-

mand of the North Sea naval station. At the head of

the bureau is a rear-admiral in the capacity of an in-

spector. This department also embraces the supervision

of the naval-telegraph school at Lehe and the commis-

sion of naval tests at Kiel.

The department of the naval-depot inspection is lo-

cated at Wilhelmshaven. Its inspector has the rank of

a captain. The bureau has to supervise the entire ar-

tillery, mine, and torpedo material for the coast-defence.

The inspection is divided into four ordnance and mine

depots, of which the first is located at Friedrichsort, the

second at Wilhelmshaven, the third at Geestemlinde, and

the fourth at Cuxhaven.

The department intrusted with the inspection of the

educational institutes of the navy has its seat at Kiel.

This bureau has for its chief a vice-admiral. The Naval

Academy and the Naval School, both at Kiel, provide for

the scientific training of the naval officers and cadets.

The Naval Academy has the following personnel of offi-

cials: One director, who ranks as vice-admiral; two mem-

bers as board of directors, who rank as captain and cap-

tain-lieutenant; a chief of the bureau, and a librarian,

who is a captain of corvette. The staff of teachers is

composed of four captains. The Naval School at Kiel is

superintended by a director, with the rank of a captain,

while instruction is given by six officers, namely, one

captain, two captains of corvette, one captain-lieutenant,

and a captain of the first marine battalion. For the

training of the deck officers and noncommissioned offi-

cers the deck-officers' school at Kiel is designed. Acaptain officiates as director, with a captain of corvette

as teacher. The sailor-boy division at Friedsichsort is

superintended by a captain. Subject to the inspection

of the educational institutes are the government of Kiau-

Chou and the third marine battalion located at Tsintau.

The German littoral is divided into six inspectorates,

each supervised by a captain. The first inspectorate,

comprising East- and West-Prussia, is located at Neu-

fahrwasser. The second, embracing Pomerania and

Mecklenburg, has its seat at Stettin. The third, taking

in the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, is situated at Husum.

The district of the Elbe and Weser stands under the

inspectorate of Bremerhaven, while the sixth inspectorate,

consisting of the district of the Jahde, the East-Frisian

coast, and Heligoland, is located at Wilhelmshaven.

The technical institutes of the navy are the navy-yards

at Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, and Dantzic, the commission of

ship tests at Kiel, and the naval observatory at Ham-

burg.

Each navy-yard is directed by a captain, in the ca-

pacity of director-in-chief, assisted by a captain of cor-

vette. The duty of the navy-yard is to lay up in reserve

and repair all the ships which are out of commission, to

hold ready, and to equip and provision the ships that are

to be put in commission, and to construct new vessels.

The eight departments or bureaus, which are supervised

either by civil officials or naval officers, are the provision,

artillery, torpedo, navigation, shipbuilding, engine con-

struction, harbor construction departments, and the

bureau of administration.

Members of the commission for ship tests are a presid-

ing rear-admiral, one captain of frigate, and one captain

of corvette. The naval observatory at Hamburg is

directed by a secret counselor of the Admiralty. The

bureaus intrusted with the clothing of the navy are under

the supervision of the naval stations of the North Sea

and the Baltic.

The entire administration of the navy is concentrated

in the Imperial Naval Administration at Berlin. Bya cabinet order of April 19th, 1899, the Naval Ad-

ministration or the naval war ministry is organized

analogous to the war ministry of the land army. The

105

Administration directs the entire organization and devel-

opment of the navy. It supervises the construction and

equipment of the war ships, and keeps account of all

expenditures made in behalf of the navy, the harbors,

navy-yards, and the coast-defences in the rivers Jahde,

Weser, and Elbe, and at Kiel.

The Imperial Naval Administration is directed by the

naval secretary of state, who ranks with a rear-admiral.

The secretary of state is responsible to the imperial

chancellor in matters pertaining to the Administration,

while in other affairs he is subordinate to the Emperor.

The business of the Administration is conducted by a

number of departments and bureaus. These consist

of a central department, with a military section; a sec-

tion pertaining to pension and legal affairs; and a

section treating of the government of Kiau-Chou. The

technical department consists of the old marine depart-

ment and the bureau of construction. Another de-

partment is that of administration proper. The fifth is

the ordnance bureau ; the sixth treats of the personnel

of the navy; the seventh is the nautical department;

the eighth is the medical department; the ninth the jus-

ticiary department; and the tenth is the intelligence

bureau.

The personnel of the German navy is liable to service

both on land and at sea, and consists of two distinct

branches,— those engaged in active service and the

navy officials. The former are classified into officers and

men.

The officers are divided into the following ranks: The

corps of naval officers; the officers of the marine infantry;

the engineers; the torpedo engineers; the surgeons; the

ordnance, pyrotechnic, and torpedo officers. The corps

of naval officers is classified according to the following

ranks: Flag officers, staff officers, and subaltern officers.

The first rank comprises six admirals, ranking with a

general of the army; four vice-admirals, ranking with a

lieutenant-general; and fifteen rear-admirals, having the

rank of major-general. The second class, staff officers,

is composed of forty-six captains, ranking with a colonel

;

fifteen captains of frigate, ranking with a lieutenant-

colonel, and seventy-one captains of corvette, who rank

with a major. The subaltern officers are divided into

captain-lieutenants, ranking with a captain of the army;

lieutenants and sub-lieutenants, who rank with the first

and second lieutenant of the army. The corps of naval

officers is replenished by the naval cadets, who rank with

the ensigns, wearing the silver knot, and by the junior

cadets, who rank as pupils with the privates. The rank

of the officers of the marine infantry is identical with

that of the land army. The engineer corps is composed

of the staff engineers, who rank with the captains of

corvette; of the chief engineers, with the rank of a cap-

tain-lieutenant; of engineers and sub-engineers, who

rank with the lieutenants and sub-lieutenants. The tor-

pedo engineers corps is classed into torpedo chief en-

gineers, torpedo engineers, and torpedo sub-engineers.

The ranks of the naval surgeons are as follows: The

surgeon-general of the first class ranks with the captain

or rear-admiral; the surgeon-general of the second class

ranks with the captain of frigate. The chief surgeon

of the first class has the rank of a captain of corvette;

while that of the second class ranks with a captain-

lieutenant. The assistant surgeon of the first class

ranks with the lieutenant; that of the second class,

with the sub-lieutenant, while the sub-surgeon classes

with a noncommissioned officer wearing the silver

knot.

The ordnance and pyrotechnic officers are divided into

captains, lieutenants, and sub-lieutenants, while the tor-

pedo officers are classified into captain-lieutenants, lieu-

tenants, and sub-lieutenants. The chief paymaster of

the navy ranks with the captain-lieutenant, the paymaster

with the lieutenant, and the sub-paymaster with the sub-

lieutenant.

The men are divided into noncommissioned officers

and privates. The noncommissioned officers wearing

the silver knot comprise the deck officers and non-

commissioned officers of seamen, paymaster aspirants,

sergeant-majors, cadets, signal masters, chief gunners,

sub-surgeons, and one-year volunteer surgeons.

The noncommissioned officers of seamen comprise the

boatswains, carpenters, helmsmen, stokers, masters, ma-

chinists, torpedo-machinists, gunners and torpedo-gun-

ners, artificers, and mechanics. The deck officers are

composed of the same classes, but of a higher rank.

The noncommissioned officers without the silver knot

are the master's mates and mates, ranking with the ser-

geant and corporal. The men are classed as upper and

ordinary seamen, divided into the classes of higher and

lower seamen.

106

COMPOSITION OF THE NAVY

"pHB German marine, which has been described in

* the previous chapter, is classified into a land

division and a division for service at sea. To the former

belong:

1. The naval seamen divisions. The first of these has

its garrison at Kiel, the second at Wilhelmshaven. Each

division comprises two detachments, each of three com-

panies. The normal strength of the two divisions is

1,433 deck and noncommissioned officers and 7,112 men.

This contingent furnishes the crews for all ships in

service.

2. The dock-yard divisions, of which the first is estab-

lished at Kiel and the second at Wilhelmshaven. These

supply the necessary complement of machinists, stokers,

craftsmen, hospital attendants, clerks, and paymasters.

Each division comprises five companies, which are num-

bered from one to five.

3. The marine-artillery divisions, which are employed

in the defence of the seacoast and the harbors. There

are four divisions of marine-artillery garrisoned at

Friedrichsort, Wilhelmshaven, Lehe, and Cuxhaven.

They number 2,013 men.

4. The ship-boy division. This division furnishes

the necessary complement of noncommissioned offi-

cers, mates, and seamen of the imperial navy, The

strength is 600, and the period of training lasts two

years.

5. The torpedo-boat divisions, of which there are two—one at Kiel, the other at Wilhelmshaven. Each division

is composed of three companies. They are classified

as seamen and technical experts, and number 2,336

men.

6. The artillery, torpedo, and mine depot. This

organization has to prepare and keep in seaworthy shape

all the material necessary for naval and submarine

warfare.

7. The marine infantry. This part of the navy con-

sists of three sea-battalions, each of four companies.

The first battalion is garrisoned at Kiel, the second at

Wilhelmshaven, and the third at Tsintau (Kiau-Chou).

The duty of the marine infantry is to defend the imperial

harbors and to replenish the detachments of marines on

battleships. This corps has been employed several

times in the colonial service.

In 1894 one company was sent to the Kameruns, but

did not see actual service. One company was stationed

at Kiau-Chou, the newly-acquired German territory in

China, and was raised to the strength of one sea-

battalion— the third, as previously mentioned. The

normal strength of the marine infantry is 168 noncom-

missioned officers and 1,206 men. The total strength

of the men belonging to the navy is 19,680, of which

15,295 compose the crews, and the remainder are non-

commissioned officers.

The uniform of the navy differs essentially from that

of the land army. The tunic, overcoat, and helmet of

the land army are represented by the jacket, shirt, over-

coat, and cap of the naval troops. The material of the

clothing is of a dark-blue color, the cut is uniform

throughout all divisions, with the exception of the marine

infantry. The ribbon around the cap and the buttons

are the only marks of distinction. The seamen and

dock-yard divisions, the seamen artillery, the torpedo

and ship-boy divisions wear a cap with a ribbon and a

black, red, and white cockade, a white or blue shirt,

white or blue trousers, neckcloth, a jacket of dark-blue

cloth with Brandenburg facings, gloves, and a dark-blue

overcoat with a large lay-down collar. The uniform of

the marine infantry consists of a tunic of dark-blue cloth

cut similar to those of the land army, a jacket like the

sea-battalions, a gray overcoat resembling that of the

cavalry, and a shako with a bronze anchor, the imperial

crown and eagle, and the German colors affixed. They

are also equipped with a knapsack, cooking utensils,

belt and sabretasche of black leather, and boots such as

the land troops wear.

The German fleet is represented by the ships in

service. The commander of a ship when in home

waters, or when not forming a part of an active division,

is subject to the station command ; if a ship, however,

is on service abroad in foreign waters, its officers

become subject to the admiralty staff. A division

consists of from three to five ships, which sail under

an admiral in the capacity of chief of division. Two

divisions form a squadron, under an admiral as chief

of the squadron, and several such squadrons form a

fleet.

The fleet is classified according to the employment of

the ships in time of war. At an early day Germany will

have at her disposal the following vessels:

FIRST TYPE

7 first-class battleships.

3 second-class battleships.

7 third-class battleships.

10 fourth-class battleships.

107

SECOND TYPE

13 armored gunboats.

THIKD TYPE

1 armored cruiser.

FOURTH TYPE

10 second-class protected cruisers.

7 third-class protected cruisers.

9 fourth-class protected cruisers-

FIFTH TYPE

4 gunboats.

SIXTH TYPE

11 despatch-boats.

SEVENTH TYPE

14 training-ships.

EIGHTH TYPE

11 torpedo-division boats.

120 torpedo boats.

NINTH TYPE

10 ships for special use.

9 scout-boats.

3 station yachts.

12 dock-steamers.

5 pilot boats.

3 depot and fortification steamers.

3 sailing yachts.

TENTH TYPE

10 auxiliary cruisers of the Hamburg-American line

and the North-German Lloyd of Bremen.

The navy-yards employed in the construction of the

navy are the Imperial yards at Kiel, Wilhelmshaven,

and Dantzic, the private yards '-Vulcan" near Stettin,

"Germania" at Kiel, and "Waser" at Bremen; also

the private dock-yards of "Schichau" at Elbing and

Dantzic.

All the German war vessels, with the exception of

the two battleships, Kaiser and Deutschland, were

built from German material and equipped with German

guns. Since 1880 the material used in the construction

is steel; older vessels show iron construction, while the

use of wood has ceased entirely. All devices in ship-

building are for the purpose of protecting the vessel

against injury below the water line. The water-tight

bulkheads, which divide the ship lengthwise into a num-

ber of independent water-tight compartments, aid in

neutralizing the injury which the ship might receive

when rammed. The use of longitudinal as well as trans-

verse bulkheads above the armored deck adds much

to the security of the ship when in danger of sinking,

or in case of injury by shots. The outer row of cells

is filled with cork, the second row remains empty and

forms the cofferdam; while the rest of the space is occu-

pied by the coal, provisions, and other ship material.

There is also a system of drainage established for the

purpose of removing leak-water, or of filling some com-

partments with ballast-water. The pipes connected

with this system are conducted through the coats of

the ship and are regulated by stop-cocks and stop-

valves.

In order to protect the vital parts of the hull against

shot and shell, the battleships are provided with armor.

The armoring of war vessels has kept pace with the

development of the iron industry as regards material,

strength, and dimensions. Rolled iron was first used

for the construction of armor plate. Later on experi-

ments were made with toughened steel, a process which

led to the introduction of plates having steel on the

outer side and iron on the inside. At present armor

plates of nickel-steel are preferred, while the armored

ships of the latest construction are fitted with plates of

Harveyized steel. In the modern battleship only the

heavy guns are placed in strong steel turrets. The hull

carries a continuous armor-belt from stem to stern and a

strong armored deck, which protects the machinery, the

ammunition rooms, and the magazine hatchways. The

new second-class cruisers also have an armored deck,

while the hatchways leading to the magazines below are

sheathed with heavy armor. The despatch-boats of a

later type have a similar protection, consisting of a less

strong steel deck. The smaller cruisers and the older

despatch-boats are more lightly armored, but have water-

tight bulkheads and a cell system; the engines are

protected by the coal-bunkers and a proper sluice

system.

The first-class battleships are the Kurfurst Friedrich

Wilhelm, Brandenburg, Weissenburg, and Worth,

each of 10,033 tons displacement; Kaiser Friedrich III.

and Kaiser Wilhelm II., of 11,081 tons; and Kaiser

Wilhelm der Grosse, of 12,000 tons. The two latter are

in course of construction.

The four ships of the Brandenburg type, and called

the "Brandenburg squadron," consist of the Branden-

burg, Weissenburg, Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm, and

Worth (flagship). They represent the chief fighting

strength of the German navy. The following is the de-

tails of their construction: Displacement 10,033 tons;

dimensions, length 380 feet, beam 64 feet, and 24 feet 7

inches draught; speed 17 knots. The ships carry a contin-

uous nickel-steel armor-belt of 15.9 in. thickness amid-

ships, sloping to llf in. at the ends. The guns are placed

in barbette-turrets, protected by overhead shields, which

revolve with the guns. For protection against injuries

by the ram, torpedoes, and mines, the ships have a double

bottom reaching beyond the continuous armor-belt. On

top of the latter lies a corkdam from stem to stern.

The ship is divided in halves by a longitudinal water-

tight bulkhead, while eleven diagonal bulkheads sepa-

rate the double bottom into twenty-four water-tight

compartments. On top of the armor-belt is the main

: 08

deck, armored with 2.5 in. nickel-steel. Between the

main deck and the gun-deck are two steel barbette-tur-

rets of 11.9 in. armor; the third barbette-turret is

mounted on a high forecastle deck and its guns are

carried eight or ten feet higher than those in the central

and aft barbettes. Close to the forward barbette is the

armored conning tower. The whole ship's armor weighs

about 3,200 tons. The main battery, consisting of six

11 in. guns, is placed in the three barbette-turrets; the

two guns of the middle barbette are 35 calibre (29.5 feet)

long, while the other four are 40 calibre (32 feet) long.

The fire of all six guns can be brought to bear at an angle

of 90 degrees. One broadside of the six guns delivers

3,373 pounds Of steel. The secondary battery of the

ship, placed below the two smoke-stacks, consists of six

4.1 in. rifles, which fire 37-pound shells provided with

fuses at an angle of about 100 degrees. As each guncan be fired ten times in a minute, the secondary battery

throws, in three minutes, from one side as many pounds

of steel as one round of the six heavy guns. Near the

forward barbette-turret are placed four 3.5 in. quick-

firers, and aft of the military mast four after-deck guns of

the same calibre. Each of these can be fired fifteen times

in a minute; that is, in three minutes it fires 2,777 pounds

of steel. The Brandenburg, therefore, delivers from

one broadside 9,528 pounds of metal. Besides the above

guns there are in the tops of each military mast four

0.28 in. machine-guns, and on the hurricane deck two

boat-guns, which may also be used in an emergency.

For the discharge of the 17.7 in. torpedoes six tubes are

provided, namely, three on each side, lying above the

armor-belt. The ship is also supplied with nets capable

of warding off attacks by torpedoes. The ships of the

Brandenburg squadron have twin-screw engines which are

covered by the armored deck and separated by the water-

tight bulkhead. The twelve boilers furnish with a

natural draft about 9,000 horse-power, or with artificial

draft 10,288 horse-power. The maximum speed is

seventeen knots an hour. The normal coal supply is 800

tons.

The rudder of the Brandenburg is suspended and

connects direct with the steering gear, which is manip-

ulated by steam. Five steering gears direct the steering

of the ship from as many different points. The most im-

portant apparatus is placed in the conning tower, which

is armored with 11.8 in. steel plates. The ship carries

twelve boats, two of which are propelled by steam.

One of these is fifty feet long, and has for armament a

torpedo tube and a revolving gun. The rigging of the

Brandenburg shows two steel military masts, at the

lower platform of which electric searchlights are at-

tached. Each ship of the squadron has a complement

of 556 men. The fighting quality of the vessels equals

that of the English ship Barfleur and the Oregon of the

United States navy.

The most powerful battleship of the German navy is

the Kaiser Friedrich III. This ship was launched

from the navy-yard of Wilhelmshaven on July 1st, 1896.

The vessel is 377 feet long, 65.6 feet wide, draws 25.9

feet, and displaces 11,081 tons. The armor consists of

the best tempered steel which has thirty per cent, more

resistance than common nickel-steel. The plates, fur-

nished by the rolling mills of the Dillingen and the Krupp

establishments at Essen, surpass all armor-plates made

abroad. The Kaiser Friedrich III. has a continuous

armor-belt, 6.5 in. wide and from 5.9 in. to 11.8 in. thick,

covering four-fifths of the ship's length. The short aft

of the ship is protected by an arched 2.8 in. armored

deck. A 2.5 in. armored deck rests on the armor belt

and protects the entire hull. The guns are placed partly

in revolving steel turrets, partly in separate armored

casemates. The main battery is protected by a 9.8 in.

armor, and the secondary battery by a 5.9 in. armor. The

heavy artillery consists of four 9.4 in. guns, which are 40

calibre (30.4 ft.) long. These guns are sufficient to pierce

armor plates of any thickness used on battleships. A shell

fired at a right angle will penetrate iron plates of 28 in.

thickness and 9.4 in. to 10.2 in. steel plates. The powerful

English battleships of 15,000 tons displacement carry

an armor of only 10.2 inches. The secondary battery is

strengthened considerably, as the ship mounts eighteen

5.9 in. rapid-firing guns of 40 calibre length, twelve 3.5

in. guns of 40 calibre length, twelve 1.4 in. and twelve

0.28 in. machine-guns. The ship can deliver from one

broadside 148 shots per minute, representing 8,867

pounds of steel.

The artillery of the ship, which may be called a citadel-

turret ship, is disposed on six decks. On the gun-deck

are placed two 9.4 in. guns in a revolving turret giving

a firing range of 270 degrees. In front of the aft

turret the gun-deck is covered with high superstruc-

tures. In the corners of the four lower casemates are

four 5.9 in. rapid-firing guns, the fire of which is limited

to a range of 140 degrees. On the next deck, which is

seven feet higher, are stationed fourteen 5.9 in. guns,

six of which are in revolving turrets giving a fire range

of 180 degrees. The other eight are disposed in case-

mates separated by armored partitions. Each of the guns

can bring its fire to bear on objects which are at an angle

of 130 degrees to the ship's course. On the third deck, in

front of the forecastle, stands the second powerful re-

volving steel turret, in which are the other two 9.4 in.

guns. Back of the steel turret is the forward conning

tower, protected by 9.8 in. steel plates. Aft of the conning

tower a long open deck rises, in the corners of which

ten 3.5 rapid-firing guns are placed, protected by shields;

there are also two 1.4 in. machine-guns without shields.

On the fourth deck, the forward lower hurricane deck,

we find four 1.4 in. machine-guns, and two rifled cannon of

the same calibre on the aft hurricane deck, back of the

109

aft conning tower. The fifth deck, the forward higher

hurricane deck, carries two 3.5 in. rapid-firing guns.

On the sixth, the tops of the military masts, 75 feet

above the water-line, four 1.4 in. machine guns are

posted. The twelve 0.28 in. machine guns are dis-

tributed over the ship at suitable places. The 9.4 in.

guns fire either the short steel shells, weighing 352

pounds, or the long shells with a fuse attached, of 473

pounds. The charge is 209 pounds of brown gunpowder.

The ship has six tubes for the discharge of the 17.7 in.

torpedoes. The tubes are all submerged, except the

one placed at the afterdeck, and discharge the torpedo

below the water-line. The ship has triple-expansion

engines; the three screws give 13,000 horse-power and a

speed of 18 knots. The coal supply is 650 tons, and the

complement is 655 men. The vessel is also equipped

with six searchlights, and carries two military masts.

To the second-class battleships belong the Kbnig

Wilhelm of 9,757 tons displacement, and the Kaiser

and Deutschland, each of 7,676 tons displacement.

The KUnig Wilhelm was launched in the year 1868.

She is a so-called battery-ship, the construction of which

is obsolete on account of the limited concentration of the

fire. At the time the ship was remodeled its circuitous

armor belt was fitted with compound plates of 11.9 in.

thickness. On top of the armor-belt are the long battery

and the stands for the heavy guns of the gun-deck,

armored with 5.9 in. plates. In 1895 the ship received

a modern armored deck. The Kdnig Wilhelm is 354

feet long, 59 feet wide, with a draught of 25 feet, a

displacement of 9,757 tons, and a speed of 14.5 knots.

The coal supply is 800 tons. The armament consists of

twenty 9.4 in. guns, one 5.9 in. gun, eighteen 3.5 in.

rapid-firing rifles, and eight machine guns. The two

forward military masts have each two tops; the shorter

aft mast, as well as the forward masts, carries a platform

with searchlights attached. The ship has an armored

conning tower and eleven spars for manipulating the

torpedo nets. The complement is 732 men.

The Kaiser and Deutschland were both launched

at Samuda in 1874. They are 278 feet long, 62 feet

wide, with a draught of 25.2 feet, and a displacement of

7,676 tons. Both ships have an armor-belt of 9.8 in.

thickness and a covered casemate (a shortened battery

with blunt corners) which is protected by 8.8 in. armor.

In the casemate are posted eight 10.2 in. guns, on the

gun-deck eight 5.9 in. and twelve 1.9 in. rapid-firing

guns, which are protected by revolving shields. Both

vessels have military masts, in the tops of which machine

guns are placed. They are also provided with search-

lights, five torpedo tubes, and torpedo nets. The

engines give 8,000 horse-power and a speed of 14 knots.

The complement is 644 men.

To the third-class battleships belong the Preussen and

Friedrich der Grosse, each of 6,770 tons displacement

;

the Sachsen, Bayern, Wiirttemberg, and Baden, each

of 7,400 tons; and the Oldenburg of 5,200 tons. The

Preussen and Friedrich der Grosse are constructed

of iron, with a length of 272 feet, a beam of 52 feet,

and a draught of 24 feet. A 9.2 in. iron armor-

belt from stem to stern protects the water-line. The

two turrets which stand amidships on the gun-deck have

a 10.2 in. armor; the conning tower is located on the

great hurricane deck.

There are placed in the two turrets four 10.2 in. guns

22 calibre long, on the gun-deck one 6.7 in. afterdeck-

gun and one 6.7 in. bow-gun 25 calibre long, which fire

a steel shell of 117 pounds weight. Both ships mount

ten 3.5 in. quick-firing guns of 30 calibre. The military

mast has a steel top, armed with two 1.4 in. revolving

guns. For the discharge of torpedoes four tubes are

provided. The engines give the ships a speed of from

13 to 14 knots. In fighting qualities the Sachsen

squadron ranks next to the Brandenburg squadron in

the German navy. The four ships belonging to this

squadron were built at German navy-yards, either im-

perial or private, namely, the Sachsen in 1877, the Bay-

ern and Wiirttemberg in 1878, and the Baden in 1880.

They were originally called scouting corvettes, but

have to be classified as citadel ships, inasmuch as

more than one-half of the forward and after parts of

the ship lacks the vertical armor. The ships have two

tiers of plates abreast; on the outside a plate of 10 in.

of rolled iron; back of this an equally thick tier of teak-

wood, followed by a plate of 5.9 in. rolled iron and a

7.9 in. tier of wood, ending in a double iron skin. The

vessels of the Sachsen squadron are of 7,400 tons dis-

placement. They are 298 feet in length, 57 feet in

width, and of 19.3 feet draught. Both the forward and

after parts of the ship are protected by a oorkdam and

a cofferdam, which lie on the arched armored deck

and join the lower edge of the vertical armor. In

case of injury to the outer skin, the cork is expected

to swell by the entering water, thus closing the aper-

ture made by the shot. The hull is divided into one

hundred water-tight compartments in order to prevent

the ship sinking when injured by a torpedo or a ram.

The ships of the Sachsen squadron are called low-

board vessels, as their gun-deck rises only seven feet

above the load water-line. The muzzles of the four

10.2 in. guns placed in the large central battery are

about 17 feet above the load water-line; the two 10.2 in.

guns in the forward barbette are mounted 3.3 feet

higher. The barrel of the latter is only 22 calibre

(18.7 feet) long; it weighs 17 tons and fires a steel shell

of 412 pounds weight and a shell with a fuse attached

of 356 pounds. The two bow-guns, which are placed in

the forward barbette, have a range of fire of about 270

degrees. The guns of the main battery stand in the four

corners of the large barbette and have a range of over

110

125 degrees. They are covered by a protective deck, on

which are placed the quick-firing guns, and which serves

at the same time as the hurricane deck. The heavy ar-

tillery delivers from one broadside 1,648 pounds of

steel. The secondary battery numbers only six 3.5 in.

rapid-firing guns of 30 calibre (8.4 feet) length, which

are posted on the protective deck on top of the casemate.

In each military mast two five-barreled 1.4 in. Hotchkiss

revolving guns are placed. Five torpedo tubes are

fitted into the hull, of which two discharge torpedoes

amidships and one aft. The engines are twin screws

and are separated by a longitudinal bulkhead. The

boilers have been replaced by new ones and the speed is

in consequence raised from 13 to 16 knots. The coal

supply is 500 tons. One searchlight is attached at the

forward smokestack, while the other is placed on the

protective deck. All the vessels are provided with

torpedo nets. The complement of each vessel consists

of 377 men.

The fourth-class German ships, comprising the Sieg-

fried, Beowulf, Frithjof Hildebrand, Heimdal, Hagen,

and Odin, each of 3,495 tons displacement, and the

Aegir of 3,530 tons, serve the purpose of preventing

the enemy from entering the mouths of the German

rivers and from approaching the seacoast. The first four

are assigned to the naval station on the German Ocean,

while the other four belong to the Baltic naval station.

The ships are 239 feet long, of 49 feet beam, and draw

17.7 feet of water. The arrangement of the water-tight

compartments is similar to that of the Brandenburg.

A corkdam and a cofferdam add to the security of

the ship in event of injury near the water-line. The

principal protection of the ship consists of a complete

nickel-steel armor-belt, 8.2 feet wide, amidships 9.4 in.

thick, and sloping to 7 in. at both ends of the vessel.

On top of the armor-belt lies an arched armored deck,

from 1.1 in. to 1.4 in. in thickness, protecting the powder

and ammunition rooms. The four covered barbettes and

the conning tower are provided with a 7.9 in. armor.

The twin-screw engines give 4,800 horse-power and a

speed of 16 knots. The three 9.4 in. guns (35 calibre

long), which fire 32 in. long steel shells of 474 pounds,

and a number of 3.5 in. quick-firing guns are disposed

either in revolving turrets or in superimposed structures.

The second type of war vessels are the armored gun-

boats. The eleven boats of the Wespe class, which were

built at the Weser yard of Bremen, are the Wespe,

Viper, and Biene, launched in 1876, the Scorpion and

Milcke in 1877, the Basilisk and Chamaleon in 1878,

the Crocodile in 1879, the Natter and Salamander in

1880, and the Hummel in 1881. All these boats have a

displacement of 1,109 tons, a length of 144 feet, a beam

of 36 feet, and a draught of 10 feet. Each boat mounts

one short 12 in. gun, the heaviest German naval gun,

which fires a shell with a fuse attached of 725 pounds.

A circuitous armor-belt, of 8 in. in thickness, pro-

tects the hull, reaching from 2.3 feet below the water-

line up to the gun-deck. On the latter, in front of the

smokestack, stands the barbette in the form of a horse-

shoe, provided with 8 in. armor, which rests on a strong

layer of teak-wood. On the armor-belt lies an arched

1.9 in. armored deck. The armor plates and the hull are

made of rolled iron. The water-tight bulkheads and

compartments are arranged similar to those of the

Sachsen type. The twin-screw engines, separated by a

water-tight longitudinal bulkhead, furnish a 700 horse-

power and yield a speed of about9-J knots. As protec-

tion against torpedo boats, each ship carries two 3.5 in.

rapid-firing and two revolving guns. Back of the bar-

bette stands the armored conning tower. Each boat is

provided with one torpedo tube, placed near the bow,

and a spur for close encounter. On account of their

light draught these boats are especially fitted for the

defence of the narrows between the islands of the Ger-

man Ocean and the Baltic Sea. The armored gunboats

received a further addition of two more vessels, in 1883

the Brummer and in 1884 the Bremse.

The third type of war vessels is represented by the

armored cruisers, the forerunners of which were the

frigates and corvettes. The powerful frigates, mounting

about fifty guns, used to fight in the ranks of the ships

of the line; the light frigates, however, known as cruisers,

were represented by ships, which, on account of their good

sailing and cruising qualities, were chiefly employed for

scouting and reporting purposes, though in part also for

destroying the commerce of the enemy. The oldest

corvettes were very small vessels, which mounted less

than twenty guns, and were employed for coast-defence.

The first sailing frigate of the Prussian navy, the Qeflon,

which was captured from the Danes at the encounter of

EckernfOrde, differed very little in construction from the

daring privateer-cruisers of the Great Elector.

The introduction of steam-power effected at first

hardly any changes in the form and construction of the

frigates. From 1868 to 1878 seven cruisers, formerly

called covered corvettes, were launched. Of these

cruisers, which were constructed entirely of wood, the

Elisabeth was the finest. She had a displacement- of

2,508 tons, a length of 216 feet, by 41 feet, and a

draught of 18 feet. The armament consisted of twenty-

six 5.9 in. guns of 22 calibre length. Additional frigates

of the cruiser type were the Leipzig, the Prince Adel-

bert, and the vessels of the Stosch type, namely the Bis-

marck, Moltke, Stosch, Blilcher, Stein, and Gneisenau,

the latter, however, constructed of iron. All these ships

lacked the necessary speed, also the practical disposition

of the artillery, and especially any kind of armor. The

German navy had only one armored cruiser, the old

armored frigate Hansa, which was launched at the

Dantzic yard in the year 1872. She had a displacement

111

of 3,610 tons, a length of 223 feet, a beam of 45 feet,

and a draught of 19 feet. The engines, of 2,000 horse-

power, gave a speed of 12 knots. The armor-belt was

6.2 in., and the armored casemate 5 in. in thickness; the

latter covered one-fourth of the ship's length. The in-

troduction of rapid-firing guns of light and medium

calibre made it urgent to abandon the old type of un-

protected cruiser-frigates and to adopt the new type of

armored and protected cruisers. In a modern navy only

armored vessels are considered as first-class cruisers.

They must be protected by an armored deck and by

side armor, while the main battery guns are expected to

be of at least 8.2 in. calibre. These vessels serve a double

purpose, namely, alike in times of peace and of war to

protect the interests of the native country in foreign

waters, and when hostilities break out to engage the

enemy's cruisers.

The only armored cruiser, which the German navy

possesses, carries the proud name of Fiirst Bismarck.

This formidable vessel has a displacement of 10,650

tons, a length of 393 feet, a beam of 65 feet, and a

draught of 25.7 feet. The engines, which are of 13,500

horse-power, give a speed of 19 knots. The coal supply

is 1,000 tons. The Bismarck has a complete armor, 8

feet in width, and reaching on the water-line from stem

to stern. The revolving turrets, the casemates, and the

hatchways and scuttles are provided with nickel-steel

plates from 7.9 in. to 11.9 in. in thickness. The arma-

ment consists of four 9.4 in. guns of 40 calibre length,

disposed in the armored turrets, with a range of fire of

270 degrees. The secondary battery, comprising twelve

5.9 in. quick-firing rifled cannon 40 calibre long, is

placed partly in the armored revolving turrets and partly

in single casemates. The light artillery consists of ten

3.5 in. quick-loading guns 30 calibre long, ten 1.4 in.

and eight 0.28 in. machine guns. The ship carries for-

midable additional weapons in the form of six torpedo-

launching tubes for the firing of large torpedoes charged

with 198 pounds of gun cotton. Five of the tubes are

submerged ; only the tube on the afterdeck is above the

water-line so as to be out of the way of the rudder and

the screws. On the top of the two military masts four

searchlights are attached, while two more lights are

stationed on the sides of the ship. The ship's comple-

ment is 565 men.

Cruisers which mount guns of at least 5.9 in. calibre

and are provided with a protective deck, are called

modern protected cruisers, and form the fourth type of the

German war ships. They are classified either according to

their tonnage or the calibre of their main guns. First-

class protected cruisers, like the Columbia and Minne-

apolis of the United States navy, with a displacement

of 7,475 tons, are not to be found in the German navy.

Of the second class of protected cruisers are the

Kaiserin Augusta of 6,052 tons ; Irene and Princess

Wilhelm, each of 4,400 tons ; Hertha and Freya, each of

5,628 tons ; and the Victoria Luise, Hansa, Vineta, and

two more boats, each of 5,628 tons ; the latter five being

in course of construction. These fast, but insufficiently

protected, cruisers are necessary not only for service in

foreign waters, but also for reconnoitring and reporting

in naval warfare. In this respect these vessels fulfill

the mission of the old cruising-corvettes, whose suc-

cessors they are. Of protected cruisers, which answer

every modern requirement, the German navy has five,

as mentioned previously. The Princess Wilhelm was

launched in 1887 at the Germania navy-yard of Kiel, and

the Irene in 1888 at the navy-yard Vulcan of Stettin.

Bach ship has a displacement of 4,400 tons, a length of

308 feet, a beam of 45 feet, and a draught of 22 feet. The

hull, which is constructed entirely of steel, carries an outer

skin consisting of a double tier of wood lined with plates

of yellow metal. The longitudinal and transverse bulk-

heads, which divide the ship into a number of water-tight

compartments, are arranged similar to those in the

modern battleships. Each vessel is equipped with a

3 in. steel armored deck which is capable of being low-

ered, forward and aft, to about six feet below the water-

line. On the armored deck rests a cofferdam about eight

feet wide. The engines are of 8,000 horse-power and

give the ship a speed of over 18 knots. The coal supply

is 700 tons. The armament of the vessel consists of

four 5.9 in. guns, 30 calibre in length; eight 4.1 in.

quick-firing guns, 35 calibre in length; and six 1.9 in.

rapid-firing guns of 40 calibre length. The ship has a

further armament of five torpedo-launching tubes. Be-

side these, each cruiser carries on its deck a small

torpedo boat, propelled by steam and provided with a

torpedo tube. The conning tower on the hurricane deck

is armored, and is provided with two powerful search-

lights. The complement of each ship consists of 365 men.

In 1892 the third protected cruiser of the second class,

the Kaiserin Augusta, was launched. This vessel is the

largest of the cruisers of this class. Her displacement is

6,052 tons ; length 387 feet, beam 51 feet, and draught

22.5 feet. The hull is constructed of steel, with

double tiers of wood and a metallic lining. The ar-

mored deck consists of two sets of plates, the upper

set being 2.8 in., and the lower one 0.7 in. in thick-

ness. The armored deck is highly arched and slopes

forward and aft from 7 to 3 feet below the water-line.

A circuitous cofferdam, 8 feet in height and 3.2 feet

in width, extends from stem to stern of the armored

deck. The cells of the cofferdam are filled with strips

of cork glued together, which, independently of the

water-tight compartments, add greatly to the security of

the ship in case of injury. The Kaiserin Augusta has

triple-screw engines which give her a nominal 12,000

horse-power. With artificial draught under the boilers

and an atmospheric pressure of 1.18 in. the three engines

112

furnish 15,152 horse-power and 501 additional horse-

power to the auxiliary engines, which give the ship a

speed of from 21-| to 22 knots. The boat can be easily

manoeuvred. At a speed of 18 knots it can be stopped

inside of one and a-half minutes, making only 437 yards

from the time the command to stop is given. The

normal coal supply, which, however, can be augmented,

is 860 tons. The armament of the ship consists of twelve

5.9 in. guns of 30 calibre length, with eight 3.5 in.

quick-loading guns of 30 calibre length. From one

broadside a mass of projectiles weighing 4,663 pounds

can be delivered in the space of one minute. The steel

shell of the 5.9 in. gun pierces steel plates of 11.9 in.

thickness. All the guns are protected by armor shields.

The boat has five torpedo-dischargers, one placed at the

bow and the other four amidships, and carries, in addition,

a torpedo boat 50 feet long, and two electric searchlights.

The complement of the Kaiserin Augusta is 418 men.

The Freya has a displacement of 5,628 tons, a length

of 344 feet, a width of 46 feet, and a draught of 20.5 feet.

The armament consists of two 7.2 in. guns of 40 calibre

length, eight 5.9 in. quick-loading guns, and a number

of small rifled cannon. The engines are of 10,000 horse-

power and give the vessel a speed of from 18 to 19 knots.

All cruisers provided with a protective deck and mount-

ing main guns of a calibre less than 5.9 in. are classified

as third-class protected cruisers. The seven third-class

cruisers are the Gefion of 4,109 tons, the Gazelle of

2,645 tons, and the Arcona and Alexandrine, each of

2,373 tons. The Olga, Marie, and Sophie, each of 2,169

tons, are used for training-ships. The Gefion was

launched in 1893 at the Schichau dock-yard of Dantsic.

She is constructed of steel and has a displacement of

4,190 tons, a length of 344 feet, a beam of 41 feet, and

a draught of 19 feet. The ship is strengthened below

the water-line with double planks, and has a metallic

bottom. On the water-line lies a splint deck from 1 in.

to lj in. thick, as protection against the shell-splinters.

The engines are protected by a 3.9 in. armor-cap made

of nickel-steel, which rests on a layer of 5.9 in. wooden

planks. The ship has also a corkdam, a cofferdam, and

bulkheads. The engines furnish 9,000 horse-power and

a speed of 20^ knots. The coal supply is 770 tons.

The armament is composed of ten 4.1 in. quick-loading

guns of 35 calibre length ; six 2 in. rapid-firing guns of

40 calibre length ; eight machine guns ; and one 2.3 in.

boat-gun. The Gefion can fire at objects lying at an

angle of 45 degrees to the course of the ship 7,040

pounds of steel in three minutes. On each side of the

upper deck a torpedo tube is fixed on a pivot, discharg-

ing torpedoes of 17.7 in. diameter. The ship has two

electric searchlights, of which one is placed at the fore-

mast. The complement is 302 men.

The fourth-class protected cruisers are the Seeadler,

Condor, Cormoran, and Geier, each of 1,640 tons;

Falhe and Hussard, each of 1,580 tons; Schwalbe and

Sperber, each of 1,120 tons; and one cruiser of 2,600

tons in course of construction. These cruisers belong

to the naval station on the Baltic Sea, and were equipped

at Kiel. They are designed for service in foreign waters.

Two are employed for service on the western coast and

two on the eastern coast of Africa, while two find their

field of activity in the waters of Eastern Asia, and three

are designed for the protection of the German colonies

and settlements in the South Sea. The oldest of these

cruisers are the Schwalbe and the Sperber ; each has twin-

screw engines of 1,500 horse-power and a speed of 14

knots. The coal supply of 250 tons is sufficient for a run

of 3,000 miles at a speed of 12 knots. The boats are armed

with eight 4.1 in. guns, five 1.4 in. machine guns and a tor-

pedo gun, firing amidships. An electric searchlight is sta-

tioned in front of the smoke-stack on the hurricane deck.

The complement of the boats is 116 men each. The Hus-

sard and the Falhe, launched in 1890 and 1891 at Kiel,

are larger than the previouslymentioned vessels. Theirdis-

placement is 1,580 tons; they are 268 feet long, 32 feet

wide, and draw 16 feet. No other navy can boast such

model cruisers. The twin-screw engines furnish 2,800

horse-power and give a speed of 16 knots. The four cruis-

ers of a later date are larger than the Hussard. They

displace 1,640 tons, and are, in construction, armament,

equipment, and complement, on a parity with the Hussard.

To the fifth type of war vessels, which are called gun-

boats, belong the Habicht of 848 tons, the Wolf of 498

tons, and the Jaguar and litis, each of 895 tons. The two

gunboats of the Albatross class, namely, the Albatross

and Nautilus, which were launched at Dantsic in 1871,

have a displacement of 716 tons, a length of 167 feet,

a beam of 26 feet, and a draught of 10 feet. The single-

screw engine, of about 600 horse-power, gives a speed of

10 knots. Each boat has four 4.6 in. guns and a com-

plement of 69 men. The boats are employed in the

scientific-survey service off the German coast. Smaller

boats than the two described were built for service at

the mouths of rivers and in the narrow waters of eastern

Asia. Of these the litis, which foundered in a typhoon,

was launched in 1877, and the TFbZ/'and Hyane in 1878.

The boats are constructed of iron, and are 138 feet long, 25

feet wide, and draw 9.8 feet. The single-screw engine,

of 340 horse-power, gives a speed of 9 knots. The coal

supply is 100 tons, sufficient for a run of 3,000 miles at a

speed of 8 knots. The Hyane is armed with two 5 in.

guns, one 3 in. gun, and three revolving guns, and is

employed in the coast-survey service. Each boat has

a complement of 85 men. Larger and better armed is

the Habicht. This boat is 174 feet in length, 30 feet in

width, and of 11 feet draught. The single-screw engine,

of 600 horse-power, gives a speed of 12 knots. The arma-

ment is composed of one 5.9 in. gun, four 4.9 in, guns,

and five revolving guns. The crew consists of 179 men.

113

A most interesting type of warship is the sixth one,

the despatch-boats. Of this type there are the Haiser-

adler of 1,700 tons, the Greif of 2,000 tons, the Blitz

and the Pfeil, each of 1,382 tons, the Wacht and the

Jagd, each of 1,250 tons, the Zieien of 975 tons, the

Meteor and the Hornet, each of 946 tons, the Hela of

2,003 tons, and one other boat in course of construction.

The despatch-boats are the reconnoitring and reporting

ships of the navy. They are like the cavalry of the land

army, and are termed the "eyes" of the fighting navy.

The despatch-boats not only sail in the van of the fleet,

in order to espy and report the enemy's position, but they

are likewise employed for the destruction of torpedo

boats, for which reason they are also called torpedo-boat

destroyers. In the capacity of outpost ships they, in

connection with the cruisers, have to patrol great tracts

at sea in order to prevent hostile ships from breaking

through the skirmish lines. At the same time these

boats have assigned them the duty of breaking through

the enemy's outposts for the purpose of ascertaining the

strength of the opposing fleet.

The side-wheel despatch-boat-ZTaisera^erwas launched

at Kiel in 1876, and served for awhile as the imperial

yacht, under the name of Hohenzollern. The boat has

a length of 268 feet, a width of 32 feet, and a draught of

13 feet. The engines, of 3,000 horse-power, give a speed

of 16 knots. The armament consists only of two 3.4 in.

guns and six revolving guns. The Greif has a length of

318 feet, with a beam of only 31 feet, being the sharpest

keeled vessel of the German navy. The twin-screw

engines, of 5,400 horse-power, give the boat a speed of

over 20 knots. The armament comprises two 4.1 in.

quick-loading guns 35 calibre long, ten 1.4 in. revolv-

ing guns, and several torpedo tubes ; the vessel has an

axe-shaped bow for ramming. It has a complement of

151 men. The Blitz and the Pfeil are built of steel,

their length is 246 feet, their width 32 feet, and their

draught 13 feet, with a speed of 16 knots. The arma-

ment consists of six 3.5 in. quick-firing guns 30 calibre

long, one submerged torpedo tube placed near the

bow, and two electric searchlights for detecting tor-

pedoes. The complement is 134 men. The Wacht and

the Jagd have each a displacement of 1,250 tons, a

length of 275 feet, a beam of 30 feet, and a draught of

13 feet. They are provided with a steel-armored deck

of 0.9 in. thickness. The twin-screw engines, of 4,000

horse-power, give a speed of 20 knots. The armament

comprises four 3.5 in. rapid-firing guns 30 calibre long

and three torpedo tubes. The complement is 140 men.

The Meteor and the Komet are the smallest of the

despatch-boats. The former was launched at Kiel in

1890, the latter at Stettin in 1892. Each ship has a

displacement of 946 tons, a length of 262 feet, a beam of

30 feet, and a draught of about 12 feet. They are pro-

vided with a 0.9 in. steel deck, also with a corkdam and

a cofferdam. The armament consists of four 3.5 in. rapid-

firing guns and three torpedo tubes. They are also

equipped with two electric searchlights. The twin-screw

engines of the Meteor furnish 4,500 horse-power and

give a speed of 21 knots, while the engines of the Komet,

of 5,000 horse-power, afford a speed of 23 knots. Each

vessel has a complement of 115 men. The most modern

German despatch-boat, the Hela, which was launched at

Bremen in 1895, has a length of 344 feet, a beam of 48

feet, and a draught of 15 feet. The boat is built of the

finest steel and is provided with a strong armored deck,

a corkdam, and a cofferdam. The engines, of 6,000

horse-power, afford a speed of 23 knots. The water-

tight compartments are arranged similar to those of the

modern battleships; forty-five independent engines, with

eighty-five cylinders, are needed to operate the ship's

machinery and other mechanical contrivances. The Hela

carries four 3.5 in. rapid-firing guns 30 calibre long, six

1.9 in. quick-firing rifled guns 40 calibre long, and four

torpedo tubes. The ship's complement is 168 men.

The seventh type of warships is represented by the

training-ships. These include the Mars of 3,333 tons,

the Charlotte of 3,222 tons, the Stosch, Stein, Moltke,

Gneisenau, and Blucher, each of 2,169 tons, Nixe of 1,760

tons, Garola of 2,169 tons, Rhein and Ulan, each of 498

tons, Grille of 350 tons, Hay of 203 tons, and Otter of

129 tons.

As long as the gun represents the most formidable

weapon of naval warfare, the training of efficient gunners

will constitute the navy's principal duty in time of peace.

For this purpose the artillery training-ship Mars is

designed. The vessel, which was launched in 1879, has

a displacement of 3,333 tons, a length of 262 feet, a

beam of 48 feet, and a draught of 19 feet. The ship

mounts about 30 guns of almost every calibre used in

the navy, ranging from the 8 in. and 9 in. gun to the

1.4 in. rapid-firing rifled gun. The complement of 697

men consists mostly of recruits, who have to serve on

the vessel for a period of from three to six months.

Specially gifted seamen are here trained for the functions

of chief gunners on board the war vessels. The ship-

boys, likewise, after having served their time on board

of training-ships, receive a course of instruction in gun-

nery. Young officers, who aspire to the position of battery

commanders, also take part in the practice with the guns.

Aside from these functions, the Mars does duty in

artillery and technical experiments, which are made with

newly-invented projectiles, caissons, etc. The vessel is,

for this reason, of much significance to the navy in

general. For the training of the gunners, who have to

become versed in the handling of the quick-loading guns,

the old cruiser-frigate Carola is assigned, having the

iron gunboat Hay attached as tender.

Since the year 1877, the old cruiser-frigate Blucher

has been employed as the torpedo training-ship. On

114

board of this vessel the different crews are drilled in the

use of the torpedo weapon. The ship is supplied with

from eight to ten torpedo tubes, which are fitted into the

hull, both above and below the load water-line, amid-

ships, and on the bow and afterdeck. Here the different

torpedo crews are trained in the technical and hazardous

handling of the torpedoes, after which training they are

employed on board of the war ships. Those officers who

perform the functions of torpedo officers on battleships

and cruisers, receive the adequate instruction on board

of this vessel. The Slucher, at the same time, is em-

ployed as an experimental ship by a board of torpedo

experts. This board consists of a staff of naval officers,

who test and approve all inventions made in the line of

torpedo warfare. Attached to the Blilcher, as tender, is

the Ulan. This vessel has a displacement of 377 tons,

a length of 72 feet, a width of 25 feet, a draught of 10

feet, and a speed of 12 knots. The Ulan does service

in towing torpedo targets, long rafts with submarine nets

attached as targets, which the torpedo has to traverse on

its run.

To the technical training-ships belongs the small

steamer Shein, which practices the laying of submarine

mines. The mines are laid in waters ofE the seacoast,

and, until fired off, are dangerous to an approaching

enemy, inasmuch as they are invisible, lying quietly

moored. The Rhein has a displacement of 498 tons, a

speed of 9 knots, and a complement of 80 men. The

small gunboat Otter, of 120 tons, is employed as tender

for the commission of naval tests. This commission is

composed of a staff of officers and technical experts,

whose duties are to oversee and vouch for the speed tests

of all new ships of the navy. They take down notes of

observation and give the necessary hints for improve-

ments in the case of deficiencies. For the training of

the personnel necessary to replenish the force of naval

officers, the two old cruiser-frigates Stosch and Stein are

employed. These ships receive the naval cadets for a

course of one year's training in naval warfare, after the

latter have passed their entrance examinations at the

Naval Academy of Kiel. During the summer time the

cadet training-ships take part in the naval manoeuvres

which take place in home waters, while during the winter

months the vessels cruise in the Mediterranean, in the

West Indies, or in other parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

The ship-boy training-ships provide for the training

of an efficient and ample body of noncommissioned offi-

cers. Of these ships the JVixe, which was launched at

Dantsic in 1885, is the newest; she has a displacement of

1,760 tons, a length of 177 feet, a beam of 41 feet, and

a draught of 17 feet. The vessel is constructed of iron,

after the fashion of the old covered-corvettes, and spe-

cially fitted for sailing; they usually make 10 knots

with a favorable wind. The vessel has also a small steam

engine of 700 horse-power, which gives a speed of about

6 knots. The armament is composed of eight short 4.9 in.

guns and six revolving guns. The crew consists of 384

men. Though obsolete in type of construction, the train-

ing-ships have been recently used for the settlement of

complicated situations, their employment being a case of

necessity till the German navy is sufficiently equipped

with modern ships. Fresh in the memory of most readers

— to cite an instance of many— is the German-Haytian

incident of December 6th, 1897. This affair was ended

by the Haytian government yielding to the menacing

attitude of two German training-ships, the Charlotte and

the Stosch, and accepting the German ultimatum with

all its conditions.

The eighth type of war vessels, represented by the

torpedo boats, is the most modern and the most interest-

ing type of all. The boats are classified into pole -tor-

pedo boats and fish-torpedo boats. The former were

successfully employed as early as in the United States'

Civil War. These boats were very small and were called

"Davids." Attached on the bow was a pole thirty-five

feet long, with the torpedo fastened to it, which exploded

by striking against the hostile ship. Well known in the

annals of naval warfare is the attack which was made by

Lieutenant Cushing on the battleship Albemarle. The

exploit took place on the Roanoke River on the night of

the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh of October, 1864.

By the explosion of a torpedo the Albemarle had an

enormous hole made in her below the water-line and sank

in a few minutes, while the torpedo boat also foundered

in the upheaval of water caused by the explosion. Dur-

ing the Franco-German war the German navy had a

great number of pole-torpedo boats, which had a speed

of eight knots, but were not used for any operations

against the enemy. The first torpedo boats fit for ser-

vice were built in England. In Germany, the Schichau

dock -yard of Elbing took the lead in torpedo boat con-

struction. The superiority of the Schichau torpedo boats

led to the introduction of their model into the English

navy. The German torpedo boats are usually 100 feet

long and 10 feet wide ; with a draught of about seven feet

and a construction of steel, they combine the greatest

strength with the greatest lightness. The boats show

little elevation above the water and their decks are com-

pletely covered. The latter, which is elliptical on the aft,

while the forward part extending from the stem to the

conning tower is a so-called whaleback, secures the boat

more or less against shot and shell and against drenching

by sea-water. On both sides of the stem the launching

tubes project. The compartment lying directly below

is used for the storing of the torpedo, the ammunition,

and the apparatus for the launching of the projectile,

which is effected by means of an air-pump. Adjoining

this compartment are the quarters, which will accommo-

date twelve of the crew. The tower which stands above

this compartment contains the steering gear, by which

115

the boat is directed in its course. The roof of the

tower carries a Hotchkiss revolving gun; separated

by a water-tight bulkhead, the boiler-room follows next.

Here, for inducing ventilation in bad weather, an en-

gine is placed, which affords a pressure of two atmos-

pheres. Separated by another bulkhead comes the

engine-room. Near , the hatchway leading down to

this room stands the aft tower, which carries a 1.9 in.

quick-loading gun. The room situate at the stern serves

for the storage of provisions and other ship's material.

The coal bunkers are placed on both sides of the boiler-

room and afford, when filled, some protection to the

boilers. On the afterdeck, back of the aft tower, a swivel

torpedo gun is placed, which can fire toward both sides.

Most torpedo boats are equipped with dynamos for elec-

tric lighting and searchlights, also with the Kaselonsky

signal apparatus. The complement of a boat of about

90 tons displacement consists of 1 officer as commander,

1 machinist, 2 boatswain mates, 3 machinist mates, 4

sailors, and 4 stokers. In some respects the torpedo

boats represent the cavalry in naval warfare. In con-

nection with the despatch-boats they are engaged in the

reconnoitring service. One of their greatest merits lies

in the circumstance that a torpedo boat crew of 15 men

can hold in suspense night and day the complement of a

battleship consisting of 600 men. For an attack on a

war ship from four to six boats are united, forming a

torpedo-boat division, under the lead of a so-called tor-

pedo-division boat. The weapon, which has effected a

real revolution in the naval affairs of all nations, is called

the Whitehead torpedo. The original inventor of this

weapon is the Austrian naval officer Lupis.

The Whitehead torpedo consists of a cigar-shaped

envelope of phosphor bronze from twelve to twenty-five

feet long. Its motive power is compressed air; it is

propelled by two two-bladed screws revolving in op-

posite directions about the same axis, and is maintained

at a constant depth by horizontal rudders and on a

straight course by vertical fans at an angle determined

by experiments. In this respect the torpedo resembles

a submarine vessel. The torpedo contains several com-

partments for its propelling, directing, and exploding

mechanism. The forward compartment contains the ex-

ploding cartridge, which consists of a series of disks of

wet gun cotton, perforated in their centres to receive

the priming tube of dry gun cotton. The second com-

partment contains the immersion regulators which so con-

trol the horizontal rudders as to carry the torpedo down

to a given depth and keep it there during its journey.

This chamber contains also a hydrostatic balance, a

pendulum connected with the horizontal rudders, and a

combination of springs, which, in connection with the

pressure of the water on the hydrostatic piston, are

to counterbalance each other, while the swinging of

the vertical pendulum causes the rudder to be turned

upward or downward until the torpedo comes back to

an even keel.

Behind this chamber is the reservoir for compressed

air and in the rear of that a three-cylinder brotherhood

engine which this force sets in motion. Behind the ma-

chinery compartment comes the buoyancy chamber, the

purpose of which is to bring the torpedo to the surface

or to sink it. Then comes a compartment containing the

bevel gear which causes the propellers to revolve in

opposite directions, and finally the rudder supports and

the rudders. The torpedo is started simply by placing it

in a tube and lowering it till it is completely submerged.

By a lever attached to the tube a valve is opened which

allows the condensed air to enter from the reservoir into

the engines, thus starting the torpedo on its journey.

This form of launching is only practiced in torpedo bat-

teries for coast-defence. On board of warships and tor-

pedo boats, tubes are provided from which the torpedo

is discharged either by condensed air or by a small charge

of powder. The tubes are either submerged and built

into the hull, in which case aim has to be taken by steer-

ing the ship, or they are placed above the water-line, ad-

justed for aiming in every direction. As a protection

against this treacherous projectile, the battleships are pro-

vided with torpedo nets. As the explosion of a torpedo

works destruction only when close to the ship, nets, con-

sisting of steel rings, are fastened to the points of a num-

ber of spars 30 feet long, which stand off from the hull

in a horizontal position and are suspended vertically in

the water when the ship lies alongside. As the torpedo

adheres to the nets without doing any harm, the torpedo

boats are equipped with special explosives for the de-

struction of the nets. An adversary of a more dangerous

character to the torpedo boats is to be found in the rapid-

firing guns, and especially in the torpedo-boat destroyers.

These boats are very fast and are called, in the German

navy, torpedo-division boats, or sea-going torpedo boats.

There are eleven of these boats in readiness, numbered

D 1 to D 11. The boats, which were launched at the

Schichau dock-yard during the period from 1887 to 1896,

have a displacement of from 300 to 380 tons, a length of

from 166 to 213 feet, a beam of 22 feet, and a draught

of 6.7 feet. The twin-screw engines, of from 2,000 to

4,000 horse-power, give a speed of from 21 to 26 knots.

The armament consists of from four to six 1.9 in. rapid-

firing guns and of from three to four tubes, which are

placed amidships on the upper deck of the modern and

very fast boats.

The division boats have in front of their smokestack

a large superstructure which carries the hurricane deck,

a room provided with charts, and several other compart-

ments, also an electric searchlight for use at night. The

complement consists of about 40 men.

Of late the torpedo boats have been employed for

highly interesting experiments with the captive balloon,

116

which are commended by the prominent naval author,

Willy Stower, in a treatise on the captive balloon in the

service of the navy.

"An important feat of reconnoitring at sea could beseen at the lower end of the bay of Kiel, in the Baltic

Sea. The detachment of balloon troops, stationed at

Berlin, had to undergo a drill with a dragon-balloon of a

new construction. Very interesting at these exercises,

which lasted two weeks, was the employment of the bal-

loon on board of torpedo boats. The construction of the

new model is peculiar, differing from all those formerly

in use. The balloon consists of two parts, namely, the

main balloon, which is oblong in form and rounded at

both ends, and of a smaller balloon, which is attached to

the lower rear end of the larger one, and adheres to the

latter like a pad. The smaller balloon serves somewhatas a helm to the main balloon, which, thus held in anoblique position, is prevented from swinging, and is

steered in a straight course, even toward the wind. Thegondola, which is independent of the guy-rope, affords a

splendid point of perspective observation, securing great

steadiness and accuracy. In order to transport the balloon

from one locality to another, without lowering it andinterrupting observation, torpedo boats were used, whichare specially adapted for this purpose on account of their

enormous speed. Even on water, experiments were madeto move the windlass which operates the guy-rope of the

balloon from one torpedo boat to another lying near its

bow. The balloon with the windlass was likewise con-veyed on shore from the boat in a short time. Bothexperiments were reported as highly succesful.

"In order to contrast the range of sight to be gainedon the gondola with that afforded by the lighthouse

tower, the balloon arose in the neighborhood of Bulk.There, at the northern end of the bay of Kiel, a light-

house tower, ninety-six feet high, was erected. Therange of sight gained on top of this tower covered a

range of only fifteen sea-miles. The occupants of the

gondola, however, were enabled, by the aid of good tele-

scopes, to overlook the entire Danish waters. They couldsee beyond Copenhagen, on the east beyond the island

of Rtigen, and on the west over the German Ocean, lyingwest of Holstein. The warships moored in the waters of

the G-reat Belt were readily recognized according to

their types. Officers of the army and navy were practiced

in observing and distinguishing the ships and their posi-

tions at sea from the balloon. To the navy the wideningof the scope of sight is of great significance, as a duerecognizance of the enemy is exceedingly valuable in

warfare."

The ninth type of German war vessels is composed of

ships for special use. These are the imperial yacht

Hohenzollern, of 4,187 tons ; the battleships Kronprinz, of

5,568 tons, and Friedrich Karl, of 6,007 tons; the armored

vessel Arminius, of 1583 tons; and the corvette Luise, of

1,710 tons, which are used as harbor ships. The MOve of

848 tons, and Albatross and Nautilus, each of 716 tons, are

employed in scientific survey work ; the Pelikan of 2,360

tons and the Eider of 402 tons are transport-steamers.

His Majesty's yacht, Hohenzollern, is a masterpiece of

German shipbuilding. The ship, which was launched at

Stettin on June 27th, 1892, has a displacement of 4,187

tons, a length of 380 feet, a beam of 45 feet, and a

draught of 18 feet. The twin-screw engines, of 9,000

horse-power, give the ship a speed of about 22 knots.

The rigging shows three masts, each made of one piece

of timber, the forward one of which carries a signal-yard.

The flag-poles are mounted with tops displaying the

emblem of the imperial crown. The armament consists

of three 4.1 in. quick-loading guns 35 calibre long in

time of war, and of eight 1.9 in. quick-firing guns in

time of peace. All the guns, which are placed on the

upper deck, are provided with shields for protection. Adouble bottom, holding many water-tight compartments

and bulkheads, secures the ship in case of injury to the

outer skin. The equipment of the interior ship is com-

modious and tasteful. For the imperial family a numberof apartments is assigned, which all open out into the

largest room, "the Blue Salon." A large dining room

is located on the upper deck. On top of this is the high-

est deck, the so-called promenade deck, the after part of

which is used as a smoking cabin. The complement of

the ship is 307 men.

The two oldest armored vessels of the German navy,

the Arminius and the Prinz Albert, were monitors. Theformer was launched at the Samuda dock-yard of Londonin 1864. It was of a low build and had a displacement

of 1,583 tons, a length of 196 feet, a beam of 38 feet, and

a draught of 12 feet. The entire hull was protected

above the water-line by 4.7 in. iron plates and by 9.4 in.

tiers of teak-wood. The two revolving towers have an

armor of 4.7 in. thickness. In each tower are placed two

guns of 8.3 in. calibre. The spur is short and nearly

round. Later on the ship was equipped with revolving

guns and torpedo tubes. The engine, of 1,200 horse-

power, gives a speed of 10.5 knots. In 1892, the ship was

struck from the list of warships, and is now employed as an

ice-breaker for harbor use. The Prinz Albert was like-

wise ordered out of commission. The armored frigates

Friedrich Karl and the Kronprinz were the first battle-

ships of the North-German navy. Both were launched in

1867. The beautiful frigate, Friedrich Karl, which has

a displacement of 6,007 tons, a length of 282 feet, a beamof 48 feet, and a draught of 23 feet, was launched at the

dock-yard of La Seyne, near Toulon. The frigate Kron-prinz, of 5,568 tons displacement, a length of 285 feet, a

beam of 48 feet, a draught of 23 feet, and a speed of 13

knots, was launched at the Samuda dock-yard of London.

Both ships carried an armored battery of 4.5 in. thick iron,

and a circuitous armor-belt of 5 in. thickness. These boats

did efficient service in the cause of the Fatherland, as was

mentioned in the historical sketch of the navy. At pres-

ent, the boats, in the capacity of harbor-ships, have a

quiet and contemplative existence, and are employed for

different purposes. The Friedrich Karl serves as a tor-

pedo training-ship. The former corvette Luise, now used

117

as harbor-ship, was launched in 1872. The ship, whose

displacement is 1,719 tons, is 203 feet long, 35 feet wide,

and draws 16 feet. The armament consists of six short

5.9 in. guns, two 4.7 in. guns, and four revolving guns.

The crew numbered 238 men.

The MOve, Nautilus, and Albatross are used for the

scientific survey of the coast. The Move is employed in

Australia, while the latter two are stationed for a like

purpose in the Baltic Sea and in the German Ocean. The

survey of the coast of the German Ocean, especially, has

to be performed repeatedly, as the depth of the navigable

water is subject to constant changes, caused by storms,

undercurrents, and drifting ice.

Worthy to be mentioned under the class of ships for

special service is the transport-steamer Pelikan. This

ship, which was launched at Wilhelmshaven in 1891, has

a displacement of 2,360 tons, a length of 259 feet, a beam

of 38 feet, and a draught of 16 feet. The single-screw

engine, of 3,000 horse-power, gives a speed of 16 knots.

The armament, which is placed on the upper deck, con-

sists of four 3.5 in. guns 39 calibre long, and four

machine guns. The crew numbers 183 men.

Other dock and harbor vessels are the pumping steam-

ers. These are employed in time of war for giving assist-

ance to those vessels which spring large leaks when

injured by the ram, shell, torpedo, or by the explosion of

a submarine mine. The two pumping steamers, Kraft

and Norder, have a displacement of 800 tons each. The

engines, of 1,200 horse-power, can be used for extinguish-

ing fires and for tug purposes. Steam tugs are used in

time of peace and of war, for the moving and wheeling of

disabled ships which cannot be individually manoeuvred.

The tugs employed at the three imperial dock-yards are

the Aeolus, of 50 horse-power; the Boreas, of 380 tons

and 900 horse-power; the Notus, of 600 horse-power; the

Zephir, of 250 horse-power; the Friedrichsort, of 67

tons and 75 horse-power; the Swine, of 50 horse-power;

the Rival, of 190 tons and 290 horse-power ; and the

Motlar, of 130 tons and 320 horse-power. The two

boats, Caurus and Jade, are used for the transport of

drinking water. In the pilot-service and in that of the

transport of casks, the pilot-steamer Wilhelmshaven, the

pilot-schooner Wangeroog, and the cask-layer Heppens,

are employed, while the Schilling and Usedom do mis-

cellaneous service. There are also signal ships stationed

for the purpose of showing the course of navigable water

at the mouth of the river Jahde in the sound of Minsen,

on the Genius banks in the river Jahde, and on the

Adler grounds in the Baltic Sea.

The three sailing yachts, Bust, Biebe, and Wille, serve

for the practice of the sailing sport, that is, for reviving

the old seafaring spirit, and thus aid in promoting mari-

time efficiency. The yachts are from 47 to 52 feet long,

and are used for drilling and racing by the officers of

the harbors during the summer months.

As modern naval warfare demands many cruisers, all

large navies endeavor in case of war to increase their num-

ber by enlisting the fast steamers of the commercial fleet,

which are equipped accordingly, and are called auxiliary

cruisers. These boats form the tenth type of war ships.

In the German navy four fast steamers of the Hamburg

mail-boat line are selected for this duty in case of emer-

gency. The ships are the Fiirst Bismarck, of 8,874 tons

and a speed of 20$ knots; the Palatia and Batria, each

of 7,118 tons and a speed of 20 knots; and the Augusta

Viktoria, of 7,671 tons and a speed of 19%- knots. The

six fast boats of the North-German Lloyd chosen as aux-

iliary cruisers will, in all probability, be the Bahn, of

5,351 tons and a speed of 19$ knots; the Saale, of 5,267

tons and a speed of 17$ knots; the Tram, of 5,262 tons

and a speed of 17$ knots; the Aller, of 5,217 tons and

a speed of 17$ knots; the Ems, of 4,612 tons and a speed

of 17$ knots; and the Werra, of 4,900 tons and a speed

of 17$ knots. These ships, in case of war, would be

equipped with a great number of quick-loading guns and

machine-guns in order to fit them for active war service.

As these fast-sailing steamers, however, lack any kind of

armor protection or water-tight compartments or bulk-

heads, they are more suited for use as outpost ships on

the skirmish line, or for the capturing of trading vessels.

Their employment as war ships is entirely out of the

question.

The German navy, as described in the preceding chap-

ters, does not appear insignificant by any means. It does

not suffice, however, for the task alloted, namely, the de-

fence of the German coast and its harbors, or for the pro-

tection of imperial subjects and their interests in foreign

countries. The annual expenditure on behalf of the navy,

amounts to 82,000,000 marks, while the total value of

the foreign commerce, and the ships engaged in the latter,

represents a sum of 4,600,000,000 marks. The foregoing

statement ought to show clearly that the increase of ex-

penditure recently granted by the Imperial Diet does not

stand in any proportion to the value of the ships and lives

to be protected. According to a law passed by the Im-

perial Diet on March 28th, 1898, the strength of the Ger-

man navy— torpedo boats, training-ships, ships for special

use, and gunboats excluded— is to be raised to 17 ships

of the line, ready for immediate service; 8 coast-defence

battleships; 9 large cruisers; 26 small cruisers; all to be

put in commission at once. To the naval reserves are to

be added 2 ships of the line, 3 large cruisers, and 2 small

cruisers. Subtracted from this number are 12 ships of

the line, 8 coast-defence battleships, 10 large cruisers, and

23 small cruisers, which are already in commission or in

course of construction. The real increase amounts to 7

ships of the line, 2 large cruisers, and 5 small cruisers.

The first-, second-, and third-class battleships are rated as

ships of the line; the fourth-class battleships are designated

as coast-defence battleships; the armored cruisers, and

IIS

first- and second-class protected cruisers are called large

cruisers; while all the third- and fourth-class protected

cruisers and the despatch-boats are classed as small cruis-

ers.

The force of the navy's per-

sonnel is likewise to be raised to 1,598 officers and 25,039

men, the marine infantry and marine artillery excluded.

These important increases of the German navy are

necessary in order to provide proper protection to the

German commercial interests abroad, and to secure to the

German Empire an adequate position amongst seafaring

nations. The foresight which the government displays

in the development of Germany's power at sea, the love

and zeal manifested by those serving in the navy, the

general interest which is shown by the public at large in

the welfare and growth of all German enterprises abroad,

are augurs of an enhanced efficiency of the German navy.

Its duty is to hold aloft and protect the German flag

abroad, and, allied with the army, to defend Germancoasts and her foreign possessions when they are en-

dangered. Its powerful position on land and sea, com-

manding universal respect, is in itself a protection of

Germany against any attack or encroachment. In case

of war, however, the German navy will undoubtedly

endeavor to win an honorable place alongside the armyin the annals of the heroic deeds achieved by the Germannation.

The Kaiser and his naval heads—Admiral von Tirpitz, in centre, and Admiral von Holt-

zendorf at the right

119

CLASSIFICATION OF THE NAVY

Commander-in-Chief, His Majesty, the Emperor and

King, William II.

NAVAL CABINET AT BERLIN

IMPERIAL NAVAL ADMINISTRATION, BERLIN

1. Central department.

2. General marine department: a, military section;

b, section pertaining to pensions and legal affairs; c, sec-

tion treating on the affairs of the government of Kiau-

Chou.

3. Technical department, consisting of the former

marine department and the bureau of construction.

4. Department of Administration proper.

5. Bureau of Ordnance.

6. Bureau treating on the personnel of the navy.

7. Nautical department.

8. Medical department.

9. Justiciary department.

10. Intelligence bureau.

General naval inspection department, Berlin. Staff of

the admiralty, transacting the business of the admiralty

and treating on naval and political matters.

Command of the Baltic naval station, Kiel; 1st division

of marine artillery, Friedrichsort ; 1st torpedo division,

Kiel ; 1st battalion of marines, Kiel. 1st naval inspec-

tion, Kiel: 1st seamen division (1st and 2nd detachments),

Kiel; 1st dock-yard division, Kiel.

Command of the North Sea naval station, Wilhelms-

haven: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th divisions of marine artillery,

Wilhelmshaven, Lehe, and Geestemtlnde ; 2nd torpedo

division, Wilhelmshaven. 2nd naval inspection, Wil-

helmshaven : 2nd seamen division, Wilhelmshaven ; 2nd

dock-yard division, Wilhelmshaven.

Bureau of inspection of the torpedo service, Kiel, in-

cluding the command of the department for torpedo tests

at Kiel and the torpedo laboratory at Friedrichsort.

Bureau of inspection of the marine infantry, Kiel: 1st

battalion of marines at Kiel, 2nd battalion at Wilhelms-

haven.

Bureau of inspection of the marine artillery, Wilhelms-

haven, including the naval-telegraph school at Lehe and

the commission of naval tests at Kiel.

Department of the marine depot inspection, Wilhelms-

haven, including four ordnance and mine depots at

Friedrichsort, Wilhelmshaven, Geestemunde, and Cux-

haven.

Inspection department of the navy's educational insti-

tutes, Kiel: Naval academy, Kiel; naval school, Kiel;

school for deck officers, Kiel ; ship-boy division, Fried-

richsort; government of Kiau-Chou; 2nd battalion of

marines at Tsintau.

Inspectorates of the German littoral : 1st, East- and

West-Prussia, Neufahrwasser ; 2nd, Pomerania and

Mecklenburg, Stettin; 3rd, Ltlbeck and eastern coast of

Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel ; 4th, western coast of Schles-

wig-Holstein, Husum; 5th, the district of the Elbe and

Weser, Bremerhaven ; 6th, Jahde, the East- Frisian coast

and Heligoland, Wilhelmshaven.

Technical institutes: The navy-yards of Kiel, Wil-

helmshaven, and Dantzic; commission for ship tests, Kiel;

naval observatory, Hamburg.

Bureaus intrusted with the clothing of the navy, Kiel

and Wilhelmshaven.

WAR SHIPS AND WAR VESSELS

FIRST TYPE BATTLESHIPS

First-class sea-going battleships: Kaiser Friedrich

III., '96, Kaiser Wilhelm II, '98, each of 11,081 t.,

13,000 h.p., 655 men; Kaiser Wilhelm der G-rosse, '99, of

12,000 t. (in course of construction); Kurfurst Fried-

rich Wilhelm, '91, Brandenburg, '91, Weissenburg,

'91, WOrth, '92, each of 10,033 t., 9,000 h.p., 556 men.

Second-class sea-going battleships: Kbnig Wilhelm,

'68, of 9,757 t., 8,000 h.p., 732 men; Kaiser, '74, Deutsch-

land, '74, each of 7,676 t., 8,000 h.p., 644 men.

Third-class sea-going battleships: Preussen, '73,

Friedrich der Grosse, '74, each of 6,770 t., 5,400 h.p.,

544 men; Sachsen, '77, Wiirttemberg, '78, each of 7,400 t.,

5,600 h.p., 389 men; Bayem, '78, of 7,400 t., 6,000 h.p.,

389 men; Baden, '80, of 7,400 t., 6,000 h.p., 389 men;

Oldenburg, '84, of 5,200 t., 3,900 h.p., 389 men.

Fourth-class battleships : Siegfried, '89, of 3,495 t.,

4,800 h.p., 271 men; Beowulf, '90, Frithjof '91, Hilde-

brand, '92, Heimdall, '92, BTagen, '93, Odin, '94, each

of 3,495 t., 4,800 h.p., 276 men; Aegir, '95, of 3,530 t.,

4,800 h.p., 276 men.

SECOND TYPE ARMORED GUNBOATS

Wespe, '76, Viper, '76, Biene, '76, Mucke, '77, Skor-

pion, '77, Basilisk, '78, Oamdleon, '78, Krokodil, '79,

/Salamander, '80, Natter, '80, Hummel, '81, each of 1,109

t., 700 h.p., 88 men; Brummer, '83, and Bremse, '84,

each of 866 t., 1,500 h.p., 78 men.

THIED TYPE ARMORED CRUISERS

Fiirst Bismarck, '98, of 10,650 t., 13,500 h.p., 565

men.

FOURTH TYPE PROTECTED CRUISERS

First-class protected cruisers: None.

Second-class protected cruisers: Kaiserin Augusta, '92,

of 6,052 t., 12,000 h.p., 418 men; Irene, '88, of 4,400 t.,

8,000 h.p., 365 men; Princess Wilhelm, '87, of 4,400 t.,

120

8,000 h.p., 365 men; Freya, '98, Hertha, '98, each of

5,628 t., 10,000 h.p., 439 men ; Viktoria Luise, llama,

Vineta, and two more, of 5,628 t., 10,000 h.p., 439 men

(in course of construction).

Third-class protected cruisers: Gefion, '93, of 4,109 t..

9.000 h.p., 302 men; Arcona, '85, Alexandrine, '85, each

of 2.373 t., 2,400 h.p., 269 men; Gazelle, of 2,645 t.,

6,000 h.p.; 0/e/a, '80. Marie, '81, Sophie, '82, each of

2,169 t., 2,100 h.p., 269 men.

Fourth-class protected cruisers: Seeadler '92, Condor,

'92, Cormoran, '92, Geier, '94, each of 1,640 t., 2,800

h.p., 269 men; Schwalbe, '87. Sperber, '89. each of 1,120

t., 1,500 h.p., 116 men; Bussard, '90, Falke, '91, each

of 1,580 t., 2.800 h.p., 160 men; and one boat in course

of construction.

FIFTH TYPE GUNBOATS

litis, of 895 t., 1,300 h.p., 130 men; Habicht, '79, of

848 t., 600 h.p., 129 men ; Jaguar, of 895 t., 4,300 h.p.;

and Wolf, '78, of 489 t., 340 h.p., 85 men.

SIXTH TYPE DESPATCH -HOATS

Kaiseradler, '76, of 1,700 t.. 3,000 h.p., 150 men;

Greif, '86, of 2,000 t., 5,400 h.p.. 155 men: Blitz, '82,

Pfeil, '82, each of 1,382 t, 2,700 h.p., 134 men; Wacht,

'88, Jagd, '88, each of 1,250 t., 4,000 h.p., 140 men;

Zieten, '76, of 975 t., 2.350 h.p., 115 men; Meteor, '90,

of 946 t., 4,500 h.p., 115 men; Komet, '92. of 946 t.,

5,000 h.p.. 115 men; Ilela, '93. 2.003 t., 6,000 h.p., 108

men; and one boat in course of construction.

SEVENTH TY-PE TRAINING SHIPS

Mars. '79, 3,333 t., 2,000 h.p., 697 men; Charlotte,

'85, 3,222 t., 3,000 h.p., 455 men; Stoseh, '77, Stein, '79,

each of 2,856 t., 2,500 h.p.. 446 men; Mo/tke, '77, Gnei-

senau, '77, each of 2,856 t., 2,000 h.p., 461 men; Blocker,

of 2,856 t., 2,500 h.p., 460 men; Xi.ee, '85, 1.760 t., 700

h.p., 384 men; Carola. '80, of 2.169 t., 2,100 h.p.. 269

men; Rhein, '67, of 498 t., 200 h.p., 80 men; Ulan, '76,

377 t.. 800 h.p., 41 men: Grille. '57, of 350 t.. 700 h.p..

74 men; Hay, '81. of 203 t., 160 h.p., 40 men; Otter, '77,

129 t., 140 h.p.. 43 men.

EIGHTH TYPE TORPEDO BOATS

Eleven torpedo-boat destroyers or torpedo-division

boats. '87-95. of 3(10-380 t„ 2,000^1,000 h.p., 15-40

men.

First class: 46 torpedo boats, '90-98, of 110-150 t.,

1,500-2,500 h.p., 15-20 men.

Second class: 74 torpedo boats, '82-'90, of 50-100 t„

500-1,000 h.p., about 15 men.

NINTH TYPE SHU'S EOT. SPECIAL USE

Hohenzollern. '92. of 4.178 t.. 9.000 h.p., 307 men:

Arminius, '64, of 1,583 t.. 1,200 h.p.. 130 men; Kron-

pr'niz. '67, of 5.568 t., 4.800 h.p., 540 men; Friedrich

Karl. '67. of 6.007 t.. 3.500 h.p., 540 men; Luise, '72,

of 1.719 t.. 2.100 h.p.. 238 men; More. '79, of 848 t,

600 h.p.. 132 men; Albatross. '71. of 716 t.. 600 h.p., 99

men; Nautilus, '71, of 716 t.. 600 h.p.. 09 men; Pelikan,

'91, of 2.360 t., 3.000 h.p., 183 men; Kraft and Norder,

of 800 t.. 1,200 h.p.; Aeolus, of 50 h.p.; Boreas, of 380

t.. 900 h.p.; Wotus, of 600 h.p.; Zephyr, of 250 h.p.;

Friedriclisort. of 67 t.. 75 h.p.; Swine, of 50 h.p.; Rival,

of 190 t. 250 h.p.; Motlar, of 130 t., 320 h.p.

TENTH TYPE AUXILIARY CRUISERS

Fast steamers of the Hamburg mail-boat line: Ftirst

Bismarck, 8.874 t.. 20 1 knots; Palatia, 7,118 t.. 20

knots; Patria. 7.187 t., 20 knots; and. Augusta Viktoria,

7,071 t., 19^ knots.

Fast steamers of the North-German Llovd : Leihn,

5.351 t., H)i, knots; Saale, 5.267 t.. 17 1 knots; Trove,

5,262 t.. 17J knots; Aller, 5.217 t., 17-J knots; Ems,

4,912 t., 17-| knots; Werra, 4,900 t., 17J knots.

German Far Eastern squadron— " Scharnhorst," "Cneisenau," "fcmden," "Leipzig,"

and "NUrnberg"— a( anchor in Kiao-chau Bay

121

Captain. Commanding Admiral. Assistant-Surgeon. Naval Cadet.

Seaman of the Imperial Navy.

Battalion of Marines on Picket Duty.

J %<T,

"rfm^m..*-**

Skirmish of a Landing Party of Marines.

<—'W

'- 1:

.>

The Brandenburg Squadron at Sea.

*

'

~'^^.-

c*nv *=-'••

H. M. First-Class Battleships "Kaiser Wilhelm II. » and "Kaiser Friedrich III."

H. M Fourth-Class Battleship "Aegir," and H. M. Third-Class Protected Cruiser " Gefion.

H. M. Armored Cruiser « Fiirst Bismarck.

&ttgntf m

KIEL

Practice with Captive Balloon on Board of Torpedo Boats.

H. M. Dispatch Boat " Wacht " Turning Searchlight on H. M. Second-Class Protected Cruiser " Kaiserin Augusta."

H. M. Second-Class Protected Cruisers "Princess Wilhelm " and "Irene" at Dover.

A squadron of German fighting ships in battle formation. These vessels are of

the older or predreadnought types

The Seydlitz," one of the latest and largest German battle cruisers, having a displacement of 24,350 tons and a speed of

28^ knots, was so badly damaged in the Battle of Jutland Bank as to require several months for repairs

133

THE FAMOUS GERMAN SUBMARINE (J-9

Early in the war. September 22, 191-1, the power of the submarine was demonstrated when the

German TJ-9 torpedoed and sank three British cruisers—the Aboukir, Cressy, and llogue

GERMAN SUBMARINE, U-14

This undersea boat has been active in sinking British ships since Germany has attempted a

submarine blockade of England

134

THE KARLSRUHEA small Gorman cruiser of high speed, which has waj

effective war on English merchantmened

THE KONIGSBERGAfter raiding English commerce, this German cruiser was finally bottled

up in the Rufiji River, German East Africa

135

THE SCHABNIIOBSTThe flagship of the German squadron that sank three British warships on November 1,

The Scliarnlwrst finally went down in a battle with a British fleet on December 8

1914.

THE GNEISENAUA German armored cruiser that aided in the victory over a British squadron near the coast of

Chile and went down with the Scliarnlwrst in the battle near the Falkland Islands

136

The German light cruiser "Frauenlob," lost in the Battle of Jutland Bank. Such vessels were constantly employed by both Britishand German admirals, in keeping the capital ships in touch with the enemy, especially when fog and darkness increased

The '"Ost-Friesland," German battleship completed in 1911, a sister-ship of the "Oldenburg," the " Thuringen/and the "Helgoland." Each of them carries twelve 12-inch guns

137

THE GERMAN ARMY 1914-1918

*0

An officer in the Kaiser Jager-Sturm Battalion

138

THE GERMAN ARMY

Li' p-ikM

CUIRASSIERS GENERAL AND STAFF OFFICER

THE EMPEROR REVIEWING CUIRASSIERS OF THE GUARD

139

UULAN TRUMPETER

140

grenadier of the guard (1tsii.ker.

battalion)

141

A GERMAN TELEPHONE POST OX THE WESTERN ERONTThis is a post established early in the war. More often telephone shelters are

concealed. From such points troops and artillery receive directions

The Crown Prince hands out Iron Crosses to men of a Jager Regiment

142

Uniforms of the 122 and 246 Infantry Reserve Regiment in WW I

143

WW Jtf-r \ - v „- .-

German troops fire thru pipes at the French lines in the early part of the war.

*&W%-$i$te:

**»

German troops on the way to the front lines, every mancarries two extra bandoliers of ammo.

144

Uniforms of the Landstrum in World War I

145

Men of the Landsturm Off to Fi£htHere is a photograph showing men of the German Landsturm on their way to the fighting line, where they will fill a gap made

in the ranks of the regulars. The picture was made in Allenstein, where this unit of "Germany's reserve forces" en-

trained for the front.

146

Uniforms of the 26th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment in World War I

147

German Field Artillery of the 1880's

.-. * v."

A huge German gun, which has just arrived in Constantinople

These German soldiers are dragging a great siege gun into position

for use in refortifying the city of Antwerp

148

Uniforms of the State of Wurttemberg Army at the beginning of WW I

149

Truck transport was a rare treat for the WW I German soldier, most infantry went to

the front on foot

Either walking or riding — Hot food was a rare occasion

150

£-^4 if

German soldiers loading the Old Model 24.5 cm Minenwerfernear Chateau-Thierry during WW I

151

Artillery played a major role in WW I. Notice the tremendous size

of the 380 mm shell fired by some German railroad guns

152

Giant railroad guns pulverized French cities and fortresses

153

Artillery observers attached to the Infanterie Geschertz — Battery No. 42

154

German Mountain Artillery troops 1914-1918

155

A powerful German siege gun transported by the use of caterpillar wheels It was her advantage

in heavy guns that gave Germany easy victory over Belgian forts

German aeroplane guns, mounted on turntables. They can be turned quickly to any direction

and to whatever angle of elevation is required

156

Uniforms of the World War I machine gun troopsNote the short trench knife on the soldier with the field glasses and the

to help carry the machine gun on the other soldier

157

DEFENDING THE MASURIAN LAKE COUNTRY, EAST PRUSSIAGerman soldiers in the trenches are keeping up a continuous fire from their shield-protected

machine guns. They are directed by an officer who watches the results through a field glasa

158

Machine gun company at the beginning of the first World War in 1914

Machine gun troops drag an 08/15 Spander machine gun.The gun mount was designed like a sled for easy dragging

159

\

First company of ski troops 1914-1918

160

Mountain troopers from the state of Wurttemberg in WW I

161

Uniforms of the Dragon Regiments 1914-1918

162

A Bavarian Cavalry Officer in a 1900 Parade Uniform19th Regiment Ulkan from Wurttemberg in 1900

Prussian Hussar Office] 1 of 1900 in Parade Uniform Unter Officer in the Prussian Jager Regiment in 1900

163

J,

German infantry at Tsing-tau, mounted on stocky Mongolian ponies. These

soldiers aided in the defense of Kiao-chau

A large division of German cyclists on one of the muddy and difficult highways of Poland. Throughout westernRussia, swamps and bad roads hinder the armies

164

UNIFORMS OF THE GERMAN AIRFORCEIN WORLD WAR I

The early pusher type airplane was one of the earliest armed fighter planes.The propeller was in the rear to allow a machine gun to he placed in the front.

1013 Air Force Officer

The Alhatros D. Va was one of Germany's best WW I fighter planes. It carried 2Spandu machine guns and had a speed of llfi 1IPH

rnifi^ cu H,i,w '

"

The D.F.W. biplane was used as an unarmed observation plane during the1914-1915 period. It was later used as a trainer.

Feldwebelleutnant, Flying Corps of 1917

165

Flying officers uniforms of 1914 Flying officers uniforms of 1917

^:^^^^^; :,':':-:^^:>:::i:^^u:^^:^:\:yi^:^^-^i^^^.^i^ ZZ^&&L3^12$&f£/Z£,

VOLUNTEERS FROM TUE BEST FAMILIES OF GERMANYAll German aviators are volunteers, and despite the fact that the air service is the and no man is sent to the fighting line until he has passed exhaustive tests in handling

most perilous of all, the youth of the best families are eager to get into it. Whena young man approaches the age at which he would be drawn into the army he

bends every effort to get assigned to the aviation branch. The training is rigorous,

various styles of machines. Captain Boelke, who was killed in an air duel, was the

hero of the German aviation corps, having destroyed about 40 Allied machines on

the Western front before being sent crashing to earth by a young British aviator.

166

Major in the Airship service in 1906

Airship officers in the beginning of WW I, 1914

German battleship squadron with its guardian Zeppelin

167

German fighter pilots prepar-ing to take off in their Fokler

Jk triplanes in 1916.

German observers in WW I aircraft had to brave the intense cold and blastof the slip stream from the aircraft propellers.

168

THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY

halberdier (emperor s

body-guard) EMPERORS BODY-GUARD—HUNGARIAN KMmiOU's BODY-GUARD—AUSTRIAN

THE EMPEROR AND STAFF

169

i—.--

YIELD CHASSEORS

170

/ ' >

%JW" I'lir.AN (uNE-YEAK YOLUSTEEKS)

VMtWFIELD AUTU.I.KRV

171

AUSTRIAN INFANTRY

JAGKR OFFICERS

172

fcljrrnbrjrugnngen.

A Rumanian cavalryman. When Rumania entered the war. she hadabout 20,000 cavalry, and, in all, about 600,000 men under arms

Archduke Karl Franz Joseph inspects some Austrian troops before they launch attack upon the Serbians.

173

ACCOUTREMENTS

Colonial Afrika Corps Troops

174

^as Patkat fces tEomiJIera.

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SBaftfitbtuttl

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Writer Soil's

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The above illustrations show the contents and proper position for the field pack.

175

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The above illustrations are reproduced from a 1914 soldiers hand book and explains various details of the uniforms andmilitary stance. It shows the correct position for Attention, Present Arms, and At Ease.

176

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gatjnentud) von bet garbe

ber ©cfjultetflappen.

^reufjijdje @arbe=

gafjnentucb, roeife.

Sa^fijche 3nfanterie=

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Flag carrier of the Baden Grenadiers

The flags are representative of the various states that make up theGerman Empire

The illustration above shows the proper position for the State Flagon a staff car.

177

GERMAN ARMY BADGES OF 1914

t&r^Tank Corps Observer Pilot

Navy Pilot Reconnaissance Navy Pilot (Coastal)

Navy Observer Colonial Troops Aircraft Gunner

178

HELMETS

Sachsen

Mecklenburg

Generate

BayernGenerate, General- und Fliigel-Adjutartten Generale Senats-Prasldenten und Ober-MIlitaranwalte

Wfirttemberg

TropenhelmeGenerale, General- und FIGgel-AdJutanten

Adjutantur

Grenadler-Reglmenter 1—12

und Infatit.-Regt. 145

MWVWm0h

Pelzmutzen

179

Braunschweig Dragoner-Regiment 9

OldenburgArtillerle, Ingenleur- und Plonier-Korps, Train, Invalidenhauser

Festungsbau-Offiziere und Zahlmelster

HessenInfanterie- und Fusilier- Regimenter, Sanitats- und Veterinar-

Korps und Infanterie-Armee-Uniform

Thtiringische StaatenInfanterie-Regimenter 93—95, 2. und 3. Bataillon

Regiments 96 und Infanterie-Regiment 15

BadenGrenadier-Regiment 109

180

Tschakos nebst Zubehorlager, Schiitzen, Telegraphentruppen und Luftschiffer- und

-tiieffer-Bataillone

Konlgl. Sachslsche JagerI. u. 2. Garde - Dragoner- Regiment, Gendarmerie u. Reltendes

Feldjager-Korps

I. Garde-RegimentParade-Mtitze

Kiirassier-Re?imenter 5. Garde -Regiment z. F., 1.— 5. Garde-Grenadier-Regiment,Garde-rusiiier-Regiment und Kadetten-Korps

181

Sharpshooters Badge Navy Airship Badge Submarine Service

Wound Badges

Army Airship Badge Issued to sailors

wounded in combatIssued to soldiersWounded in combat

Stutnont

Seutimnt

Dberleutnantjut 6ce

Oberlciihiant Snubtmann 3Jtaior(general btr

Snfauteric uf».

Rank and insignia of the German Navy in WW I

182

Hiite SDliige bee iUiilitarbcamten,

bic bcr Softmt iinijioii niuR-

IHuqe bev ilJilitiubcamtcn,

bic bet colbat nidjt w gmjjen bviuuht

Epaulettes

Brustschllde fiir Offlzlereder Gardes du Corps und Kurass

Reglmenter I und 2

SabeltaschenH usaren-OffIzlere

German WW I officers wore a wide variety of headgear when on parade

183

The pack saddle shown abovehad two belly bands and a large

saddle bag on each side

The mounts of the horse soldiers carried awide variety leather gear. Ranging from bed rolls to sabers

Mmm ffl

pii i i-I i I

Numerous saber blades and hilt

variations were found among the mounted troops,but the lion's head on the left was by far the most common.

Sabers were attached to the saddle asshown except when worn as part of

a dress uniform.

184

GERMAN ARMY PISTOLS

In the 1880's the German Army made wide use of

these 11 MM single action revolvers. These large awk-ward weapons were replaced by the Luger pistol in

1908. Although the Luger was more difficult to manu-facture, it was far superior in shooting and loading.Because of its fine shape and balance it was easier for

the novice to shoot accurately.

The standard model 4" barrelLuger was the most widelyused German hand gun in

WW I.

The Navy modelis shown here witha shoulder stock anda 32 round drummagazine.

v The long barrel model withthe shoulder stock was issuedto machine gun troops andartillery troops.

Although the Mauser pistol (shown on theright) was never officially adopted by theGerman Army, great numbers of them wereused as a substitute standard side arm dur-ing WW I.

185

GERMAN MANNUCHERS

Mannlicher Rifles and Carbines were still in use in 1914 but were eventuallyreplaced by the Gew 98 shown below

GERMAN MAUSERCAL. 792 MM.

10.35 MM KAR 1871

The Gew 98 and the 98K were the basic infantry weapons of WW I

186

RIFLES AND MUSKETS USED BY THE GERMAN ARMIES

1) FLINTLOCK MUSKETS

CAL.

20.4mm

20.4mm

16-18mm16- 18mm18.5mm

18.6mm

15.7mm

18.6mm

17.5mm

17.8mm

20.5mm17.6mm

YEAR OF ADOPTION

1720-1782

1720-1782

1720-1782

1720-1782

M.1782

M.1784

M.1805

M.1809

M. 1777/1802

M.1809

2) PERCUSSION MUSKETS

18.04mm M.1839

18.5mm U/M(Umgeaendertes Modell)

16.2mm U/M(Umgeaendertes Modell)

3) RIFLED FLINTLOCK WEAPONS16.9mm

18.05 M.1787

15.00mm M.1798

14.6mm M.1810(Potsdam Modell)

4) RIFLED PERCUSSION WEAPONS

14.6mm M.1835

18.4mm M.1839

5) BREECHLOADERS (single shot, for

15.43mm

15.43mm

15.43mm

WORLD WAR GERMAN MACHINE GUNS

The Light Maxim—08/15

The standard light automatic of the German armies in the First World War was the 08/15 .Maxim. Above

Plate shows gun as fitted with water jacket and bipod mount and with the 125-round magazine attached.

Standard Model 1908/15 on heavy ground sled mount.

I /

German troops at the front — late 1918

189

Uniforms of the German Signal troops in WW I

190

Uniforms of the German Motorized troops in WW I

•5^. > ;

191

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f

#

Uniforms of the German Airforce in WW I

Observer on the left, pilot on the right

192

J

Artillery spotters in WW I run for cover during a gas attack

193

Uniforms of the German Minenwerfer troop in WW I

194

A Soldier's duty is doneNovember 11, 1918

195